Houtzdale, PA – Barry Smith, superintendent of the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale has announced a limited lockdown of the facility due to a staff assault.

On Thursday evening, a corrections officer was assaulted and seriously injured by an inmate and required emergency medical attention outside the institution. The officer is in stable condition. Due to confidentiality, officials are unable to provide any further medical information about the officer.

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There were no other inmates or staff involved in the assault and no one else was injured. The inmate was transferred to another institution.

DOC staff are investigating the incident. While this incident is being investigated, the housing unit pod on which the incident occurred will remain on lockdown. This lockdown will result in visiting and telephone privileges being suspended.

“SCI Houtzdale and the Department of Corrections take assaults seriously and will work to determine how it happened and how we can work to prevent incidents such as this in the future,” said Smith.