Two Burleigh County Detention Center officers had to be taken to the hospital after being assaulted by an inmate already facing a felony charge for assault on a peace officer.

The 20-year-old Bismarck man had not been charged for the alleged assaults as of Tuesday afternoon. He remains in the custody of the Burleigh County Detention Center on other felony charges.

Sheriff Pat Heinert said two detention officers, one man and one woman, were assaulted at around 8:30 p.m. Monday. The inmate, who already was in segregation, requested new toiletry items. The male officer exchanged the new toiletries with the used ones, then turned to walk out of the cell, Heinert said. He said the inmate charged the officer and can be seen in surveillance video with his arm up in a swinging motion.

Surveillance cameras in the jail record inside cell blocks but not in the hallways, Heinert said. He said the rest of the incident took place in the hallway, where cameras are used for monitoring but do not record. A new system will be in place soon for hallway cameras to record incidents, he said.

The male officer needed two stitches to his lip and has scrapes and bruises on his forehead, Heinert said. He said the man is a little unsure of what happened for about 20 minutes Monday night, but he is not sure if he passed out. A CTscan performed at the hospital was normal, Heinert said.

"He's going to have a huge black eye," the sheriff said.

The female officer, who tried to assist her colleague, has a broken nose, a bruise behind her right ear, a bruise on her forehead and her left eye is swollen shut, Heinert said.

Both officers were excused from coming in to work on Tuesday, Heinert said. He said he is concerned about their injuries as well as possible psychological effects due to the assault.

"It's no doubt the worst one we've ever had in the detention center where an officer was assaulted," he said.

The inmate accused in the assault has been in the Burleigh County Detention Center since October on a felony theft charge. He pleaded guilty to that charge in April and is slated to be sentenced on July 29. In December, he was charged with assault on a peace officer and escape for allegedly putting a detention officer in a choke hold and demanding she give him the jail keys. Other officers answered her calls for help and subdued him. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and is slated to stand trial June 25.

The inmate may be locked down in his cell 24 hours a day from now until the time comes for him to be transported to the state penitentiary, Heinert said. He said the door to the inmate's cell will no longer be opened unless his hands are first placed in restraints.

The safety precautions will specifically deal with that inmate, though staff likely will examine how they deal with and talk to other inmates, Heinert said. He said staff often develop a rapport with inmates, and they have to work to not become relaxed in their surroundings.

"You've got to treat them with respect, but you also have to be careful," he said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)