Milw. Co. Jail inmate accused of assaulting corrections officers

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A Milwaukee County Jail inmate serving time for attempted first degree intentional homicide assaulted corrections officers inside the jail on Tuesday morning, February 25th. This, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office says 43-year-old Leopoldo Santos-Fernandez crossed over a red line into the correctional officers' work area, which is off-limits to inmates. Santos-Fernandez reportedly refused to comply with orders to return to his cell.

Santos-Fernandez is accused of ignoring several orders from correctional officers, and attempting to hit one of them.

That corrections officer deployed his taser, but the probes did not stick.

The Sheriff's Office says Santos-Fernandez then attempted to choke one of the officers, and another officer used his taser to stun Santos-Fernandez, who continued to be combative as additional officers arrived.

Santos-Fernandez was secured in handcuffs, and that's when the Sheriff's Office says he intentionally struck his head against a wall, and had to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

He was then released back into custody at the Jail.

One corrections officer was treated for a potentially torn tendon in his arm and could not return to work.

Another corrections officer suffered a scratch to his face.

A third officer suffered an injury to his forearm.

Those two officers were able to return to work.

Santos-Fernandez has been in custody since May of 2013. He now faces two additional charges against him of battery to law enforcement officers.

A criminal complaint against Santos-Fernandez from 2013 charges him with attempted first degree intentional homicide for attempting to cause the death of Roberto Reyes-Flores in West Allis on May 15th, 2013.

The complaint says Reyes-Flores was treated for a slash wound to his throat and a cut to his hand.

The complaint says Santos-Fernandez and Reyes-Flores were roommates. The complaint says that on May 15th, 2013, Santos-Fernandez was in the kitchen eating when Reyes-Flores entered.

The two began to have a conversation in Spanish, and Reyes-Flores told investigators Santos-Fernandez asked him if he believed in God -- to which Reyes-Flores says he responded by saying "he did not really believe in God."

The complaint says at this time, Santos-Fernandez raised a kitchen knife he had been carrying, and cut Reyes-Flores' neck in a downward slicing motion.

The complaint says Santos-Fernandez said: "Because you don't believe, I must kill you."

The complaint says Santos-Fernandez took the knife to Reyes-Flores' stomach area, but Reyes-Flores was able to push it away -- suffering a cut to his finger.

That's when Reyes-Flores fled the residence and attempted to drive himself to Froedtert. However, he suffered an accident on the way there, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

A doctor determined the cut to Reyes-Flores' neck was life-threatening, and he required a pint of blood as part of his medical treatment.

The complaint says Santos-Fernandez was taken into custody after authorities located him in the backyard of the residence holding a Bible and mumbling something in Spanish.

The complaint says Santos-Fernandez admitted to cutting Reyes-Flores' neck.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke issued a statement to FOX6 News regarding Tuesday's attack on corrections officers:

"Some of these creeps are incarcerated on some very serious charges and feel that they have nothing to lose by engaging in fights with other inmates or assaulting staff.  This inmate is being held on 1st degree intentional homicide. Correction officers work in an extremely volatile environment that can erupt without warning.  Several officers were injured getting this goof under control.  One may be out of commission for an extended period.  The injuries sustained by the criminal were consistent with being restrained by my officers."