An incarcerated person threatened to cut the throat of his cellmate at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield last week, according to Vermont State Police.
In a press release Tuesday, authorities said Aaron Hornbeck-Fielder, 26, “made a small edged weapon,” which he used to briefly hold hostage his cellmate, Eric Edson, 51.
According to the release, staff at Southern State reported the incident, which occured on Sept. 12, and state police detectives later assisted corrections staff with an investigation.
Hornbeck-Fielder is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, possession of a dangerous weapon while committing a felony and first degree unlawful restraint. He is due in court on Nov. 1. and remains in custody at Southern State, according to the press release.
“Mr. Hornbeck-Fielder is now in a different unit and does not have a cellmate at this time,” Rachel Feldman, a spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Corrections, told VTDigger.
Hornbeck-Fielder is incarcerated on multiple charges, including sexual assault on a victim under 16 and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. He was first booked in 2018 and has a minimum release date of February 2024.
According to Feldman, the Department of Corrections “frequently” refers cases to state police for further investigation. State police then refer investigations to the relevant state’s attorney’s offices to determine whether the state will pursue charges.
Last month, corrections staff apprehended an attempted escapee in Springfield, who had slipped through a gap between fencing and razor wire. Four people incarcerated at Southern State have died this year.
The facility has also been in the news due to its staffing shortage. In June, the Department of Corrections implemented a mandatory change at the prison from 8-hour to 12-hour shifts five days a week.
According to Steve Howard, who represents corrections staff as executive director of the Vermont State Employees’ Association, mandating longer shifts makes maintaining a safe facility more difficult.
Incarcerated people “rely on our members to keep them safe,” Howard said. “When (prisons) are short staffed and they’re exhausted, it may lead some (incarcerated people) to think that they can take advantage of that situation. It leaves other inmates thinking, ‘Are they going to be able to protect me?’”
Feldman downplayed the role that staffing levels had in the incident.
“Our frontline staff are first responders who work around the clock. They are trained in crisis mitigation and de-escalation techniques, a key reason this event was resolved without serious injury to any party,” she said.