More Prison Time For Rockland Felon Who Attacked Corrections Officers

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — A Spring Valley man who made an unprovoked attack on a stranger, then repeatedly fought with corrections officers while at the Rockland County Jail, and who was found twice with improvised weapons, was sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive 7-year terms in state prison for two separate felony assaults on the corrections officers, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced Friday.

Spring Valley resident Darius Williams was sentenced as a predicate violent felony offender to serve a total of 14 years. The sentences will run consecutively to a 7-year state prison sentence which the 35-year-old is currently serving for his unprovoked assault on a stranger in 2022 on a street in the village of Haverstraw.

The sentences were imposed by the Honorable Kevin F. Russo after a two-day non-jury trial in Rockland County Criminal Court which took place in December.

The incidents which were the subject of the latest trial stemmed from criminal conduct committed by Williams while confined in the Rockland County Jail last year.

On Jan. 11, 2023, Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections officers conducted a search of Williams' cell. A white shank with a metal tip was discovered in his jail-issued jacket. The item is considered contraband within a correctional facility.

On Feb. 15, 2023, a Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections officer was assigned to escort Williams to his cell. The Sheriff’s Corrections officer removed Williams' handcuffs and told him to put his hands on the wall. Immediately afterward, Williams ran towards the corrections officer and punched him in the face. There was a struggle, during which a Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections Sergeant was injured. He was treated for his injury at a local hospital and remained out of work for several months.

Two days later, Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections officers responded to Williams’ cell to fix his broken cell door. Immediately after corrections officers were able to get the door open, Williams punched one in the face and lunged at the other. There was a struggle during which a Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections Sergeant was injured, treated at a local hospital, and remained out of work for several months.

On July 31, Williams was changing into civilian clothes for a court appearance when a Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections officer observed an object bulging from one of his socks. A search uncovered a screw wrapped in a ripped shirt and toilet paper. The item is considered a weapon and prison contraband within a correctional facility.

In addition to the sentence imposed for two felony counts of Assault in the Second Degree, Williams was also convicted on two counts of Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, and one additional count of Assault in the Second Degree, prosecutors said.

“On behalf of the Corrections Officers Benevolent Association of Rockland County (COBARC), I would like to thank District Attorney Tom Walsh and his staff for all of their hard work on this case," Martin Fogarty, COBARC President said in the announcement. "We would also like to thank Judge Russo for his sentence in this matter whereby he sent a message that this type of violence perpetrated on our members won’t be tolerated.

"The work done by the membership of COBARC is thankless and very often goes unnoticed. The job can be extremely dangerous as we deal with the most violent members of society day in and day out, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year.
It is comforting to know that the District Attorney's Office and the courts have our back when we have to deal with violent incarcerated individuals like Darius Williams."

Williams received a 7-year sentence in 2023 for Assault in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a weapon in the Third Degree stemming from the Haverstraw attack.
Following the Honorable Kevin F. Russo’s sentence on March 13, he will now serve an additional 14 years in state prison.

"The defendant in this case while incarcerated for a violent crime assaulted Rockland County Sheriff’s Corrections officers on multiple occasions, causing serious injuries, Walsh said. "We value the safety of correction officers, all law enforcement, and all people. This type of violence cannot be tolerated in a democratic society. The defendant will now face a lengthy state prison sentence and will be held fully accountable for his actions."

The case was prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Nicole Garcia and Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily McNiff.