Inmate Gets More Time Behind Bars For Assaulting Guard With Urine: DA

KINGSTON, NY — An inmate will spend years longer behind bars after a disturbing assault on a correctional official at a Hudson Valley prison.

The Ulster County District Attorney's Office says that 27-year-old Christian Fernandez, of Fishkill, was sentenced on Monday to 18 months to three years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated harassment of an employee by an inmate. The sentence will run consecutively to the 10-year prison sentence Fernandez is already serving.

Fernandez deliberately threw urine on the mouth and clothing of a correctional officer when they were in the medical unit of the Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch. The substance was confirmed to be urine by the New York State Police Crime Lab.

"This dangerous and degrading conduct against a Correctional Officer must be treated seriously; it’s easy to see or imagine what can happen if the officer responds in kind or self-defense," District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said. "Protecting officers against such conduct is imperative to the safety and security of any facility."