CAMDEN — A 26-year-old inmate at the Camden County Jail could face another 20 years in jail after being charged with biting an on-duty corrections officer, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
A jury found Bernard Jenkins,of the 700 block of Powell Court in Camden, guilty of 2nd degree Aggravated Assault, 3rd degree Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and 4th degree Subjecting a Law Enforcement Officer to Bodily Fluids.
Authorities said he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years incarceration on the 2nd degree count, 85 percent of which must be served before parole eligibility. He also could face a consecutive 18 months incarceration on the 4th degree count.
On June 27, 2008 Jenkins was creating a disturbance in his cell by banging and kicking the door and screaming, police said. An officer told him to stop and when he did not, two corrections officers opened the cell to remove Jenkins shoes, hoping that would stop him from kicking the door. Instead, police said, Jenkins tried to punch one of the officers, a 12-year veteran of the county jail, and bit him in the face near his chin, tearing away a one-inch piece of skin which he then spat out.
The corrections officer required 18 stitches and has a permanent scar on his cheek.
"Every day he looks in the mirror, he sees that scar and is reminded of what the defendant did to him," Assistant Prosecutor Erin Fay said in her closing arguments.
"It's important to protect our officers from violent offenders who act out against them," she said after the trial.
Jenkins was ordered transferred to a state prison after the incident and is still facing charges on unrelated incidents in Camden County. Sentencing is scheduled for May 6 before Superior Court Judge Michele Fox.
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