SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A federal correctional counselor was left with a serious injury after being attacked by an inmate at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
Willard Begay, 34, was convicted in federal court on June 13, 2014, of punching a counselor in the face and throwing a computer printer at the counselor’s face. Begay was found guilty of assaulting a federal correctional officer, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
The assault occurred on October 1, 2012, when a counselor met with Begay to discuss the friction he was having with fellow inmates and to move him to another unit. The counselor was attempting to secure Begay to move him to the new unit when Begay punched him in the face with a closed fist. The counselor lost his balance and fell back a few feet. While he was still dazed from the punch, Begay removed a printer from a table in the office, raised it above his head, and smashed the printer onto the counselor’s face.
The counselor radioed for assistance, and correctional officers entered the room and handcuffed Begay after a struggle. The counselor was transported to the hospital emergency room, where a physician determined that he sustained an orbital floor fracture. The physician closed the wound with sutures and recommended the counselor to follow up with a plastic surgeon.
The jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Missouri, deliberated for two hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Begay is now facing a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abram McGull, II and Patrick Carney, and was investigated by the FBI. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
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- Kyler Joseph Bard, Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers, Civil Disorder, Missouri 2021 · Kansas
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- James W. Dickens, Assaulting and Threatening Federal Law Enforcement Officers, Missouri 2023 · Kansas
- Yefferson Pinzon Suarez, Assault on Officer, Missouri 2024 · Colorado
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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