By Malynda Fulton
The Valdosta Daily Times — VALDOSTA — One warm day in August 2007 was just like any other day at work for William “Bill” Bond, a second shift sergeant at Valdosta State Prison. He was standing outside in the front of the dining area, or “chow hall,” when, he said, a group of inmates suddenly circled and attacked him.
Bond was hit and stabbed multiple times, at least seven times, he recalls.
“They used broom handles, shanks and belt locks,” Bond said, reliving the incident.
After several minutes, which felt like many hours to him, two officers working inside the chow hall noticed the attack and came to Bond’s rescue.
“I believe that I would have died if they did not come when they did,” he said.
As the officers broke into the circle and dragged Bond out, the inmates attacked them. All three men had to receive medical treatment as a result of the incident.
Bond said that he was stabbed a total of four times. Two stab wounds he received in his back nicked one of his lungs, he said.
“After three surgeries on my right eye, it has been determined that my optic nerve is completely damaged,” he said. “Therefore, I have no sight in that eye anymore. The remainder of the injuries I received was just damage to the head.”
His injuries left him unable to return to work.
Another former correctional officer, William Lewis, said he was attacked twice during his tenure at Valdosta State Prison, once in July 2005 and a second time in June 2006. Lewis said that the June 2006 attack left him with an orbital fracture, as well as the need for a spinal stimulator and neck surgery to remove a disk.
Lewis said that he later found out that the inmate who attacked him had just been released from solitary confinement — after other officers discovered a letter the inmate wrote threatening to kill Lewis and three other prison employees.
“I was actually reprimanded because I got mad when I found out about the letter,” Lewis said. “I realized then that the inmates ran that prison.”
As a result of his injuries, Lewis eventually had to stop working. He has been out of work since February 2007.
Recent reports of violent incidents at Valdosta State Prison have triggered an uproar among former and present correctional officers who claim the inmates are out of control.
The outrage among past and present officers stem from the Oct. 25 attack of 19-year-old officer Zebedee Hankerson, who was beaten by at least three inmates while on duty at the prison. Hankerson’s brutal attack left him in need of surgery on his face and one of his eyes.
Hankerson was doing a count in Building D1 when an inmate pushed and then elbowed him, which caused an orbital fracture in his eye, Hankerson’s father, Ron, previously told The Times. The officer was then assaulted by the inmate, along with two other inmates.
“Meanwhile, another officer who was aware of the attack did not respond or try to assist my son,” Ron said. “In fact, it took at least two minutes before anyone responded. My son left the building with blood on his face and no support from any of the other officers.”
According to Ron’s account of the incident, it took over an hour before his son was transported to the hospital. He was then transported in a state vehicle, not by the ambulance.
Although the Georgia Department of Corrections never confirmed or denied Hankerson’s attack, several current correctional officers, who wish to remain anonymous to protect their jobs, have called and e-mailed The Times and indicated that Ron’s account of the incident was accurate.
“The state of Georgia is running that prison with as little staff as possible ...,” an anonymous officer told The Times. “One officer is on the floor dealing with 100 close-security inmates at a time, who are locked up for murder, rape, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated assault and so on. We are only one step away from a maximum security prison. Many of these offenders will never be released from prison and have nothing to lose ...”
Another officer said that people are throwing drugs and cell phones over a back fence for the inmates.
“We are also finding several shanks,” the officer said. “And the administration won’t do anything about it.”
The officer added that at least 80 percent of the inmates have mental issues.
“We have no protection out there and we are scared.”
Violent incidents that have been reported at the prison in the past two weeks include an Oct. 24 altercation between inmate Ronnie Hodge and an unidentified male. During the altercation, Hodge was stabbed and subsequently transported to South Georgia Medical Center, treated for “puncture wounds to his left shoulder and upper back,” and released, according to a previous statement from the Department of Corrections.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, an altercation between two inmates resulted in one inmate being transported to the hospital for observation. The inmate was later returned to the facility.
The incident reportedly involved someone being thrown from a second-floor balcony. However, the information was neither confirmed nor denied by the Department of Corrections.
The Times recently filed an Open Records request with the Department of Corrections to obtain information about the attacks on William “Bill” Bond and William Lewis, as well as information on the conditions that led to their attacks. A representative with the department’s Public Affairs Office said that the request has been forwarded to the legal office for a response.
