The district attorney's office plans to review jail surveillance video as part of its investigation of an incident between two Lackawanna County Prison inmates that left one with lacerations.
Edward Zaloga, D.O., the jail's medical director, treated the injured inmate in-house for a cut to the back of his neck and another to his face, Warden Robert McMillan said Wednesday.
Both he and the assailant were being held in the restrictive housing unit, Mr. McMillan said. The warden declined to identify either man pending the outcome of the investigation.
The slashing happened Tuesday about 8 a.m., as the inmates ate breakfast in the day room. The warden said it is unclear what provoked the incident, but it apparently was not gang-related.
Joseph Jordan, county chief of detectives, said investigators on Wednesday were waiting for the prison to gather its reports and other materials, including the video of the incident. Detectives received "absolutely no cooperation" from the victim, he said.
"It's one of those things where we will put it all together without his help," Chief Jordan said. "It's not a whodunit, if you know what I'm saying."
The weapon used in the slashing was not recovered.
Mr. McMillan said staff members searched the area immediately after the incident but were unable to find a weapon. "It could be something as simple as a paper clip. It could be something that small. ... It could have been passed into one of the cells and flushed right down the toilet," he said.
Although the housing unit where the slashing happened was locked down and searched, the rest of the jail was unaffected, Mr. McMillan said.
"No other inmates or staff were involved or injured," the warden said.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com