Sedgwick County Detention Deputy recovering after recent inmate assault

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A Sedgwick County detention deputy is recovering after being assaulted by an inmate causing him to miss months of work.

The left foot brace on Detention Deputy Taylor Cummings is a daily reminder of the moment an inmate attacked him on November 7.

“I immediately became scared,” said Deputy Cummings. “Unlike any fear I’ve ever felt here before.”

Deputy Cummings said that day an inmate refused to return to his cell after showering. He says the inmate began punching him. That’s when Deputy Cummings and another deputy tried to restrain him, but they ended up on the floor.

“It was as we fell that my ankle kind of gave out,” said Deputy Cummings. “I just couldn’t feel my left leg. That’s when he bit me and I was yelling that he bit me.”

Deputy Cummings spent four days in the hospital with a broken ankle, a bite to his chest, and minor scratches on his face. The other deputy suffered a broken hand.

“There was constant pain throughout that entire month,” said Deputy Cummings.

He’s still recovering slowly. He’s been out of work since then and has to walk with the help of crutches.

The sheriff’s office says since the attack, it’s considering possible changes such as giving deputies pepper spray and providing more crisis intervention training to hopefully reduce the chances of it happening again.

“It’s not saying anyone did anything wrong or could have done anything better but just trying to think are we giving everyone the right tools,” said Captain Jared Schechter with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

This is a first for Deputy Cummings in the three and a half years working in the jail.

“In the long run, it’s a rewarding job in the end and we have great people that work here,” said Deputy Cummings.

He expects to return to work by February. The District Attorney’s office is expected to file charges against the inmate who attacked him.

LATEST STORIES: