Canton man gets prison term for attacking Stark County Jail guard after arrest

CANTON ‒ A 25-year-old man who attacked a corrections officer at the Stark County Jail has been sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison for attempted aggravated murder and other charges.

Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank G. Forchione sentenced Prince Toussant R. Trammell on Wednesday after the Canton man entered guilty pleas to all charges contained in two indictments for separate acts that occurred Feb. 13.

In addition to the attempted aggravated murder charge, Trammell pleaded guilty to felonious assault of an officer, strangulation and escape.

The defendant also pleaded guilty to two charges in another case: disrupting public services and unlawful restraint. He blocked someone from calling 911 with her cellphone and refused to allow her to leave a bedroom on Feb. 13. The offenses against the jail guard occurred after Trammell was booked into the jail on those charges.

Trammell attacked the guard from behind, choked him, knocked him unconscious twice and took his keys, according to the Stark County Sheriff's Office and criminal complaints.

The corrections officer apparently regained consciousness, and a spokeswoman for the sheriff said the officer was able to "regain and maintain control of the inmate" until other jail staff arrived to assist.

Prince Trammell: Stark County Jail officer attacked from behind; inmate now charged with attempted murder

The corrections officer required advanced medical treatment for his injuries at a hospital.

The attack took place around 7 p.m. in a housing area of the original 1960s-era wing of the jail, the sheriff's office has said. The attack occurred outside the individual jail cells, in the secured day area where the inmate had been using a phone.

According to complaints filed with Canton Municipal Court, Trammell took the officer's keys and handed them to another inmate in a locked cell in an apparent attempt to help inmates escape, the complaints said.

A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office has said the other inmate who got the keys did not use them to unlock the cell door and did not attempt to escape.

Forchione said that while the prosecutor recommended a sentence of 10 years, he gave Trammell 12 to 15 years in prison "because I think that we need to protect our law enforcement officers when they're assaulted."

The judge gave Trammell credit against his sentence for time already spent in the county jail. Trammell will spend up to five years on parole after his release, when he will be required to register as a violent offender.

Trammell's defense attorney Ty Graham was offered the chance to comment on the case Thursday.

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Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton man who attacked Stark County Jail guard gets prison term