Inmate charged with attacking, injuring Rowan Detention Center officer
Published 11:14 am Tuesday, October 13, 2020
By Shavonne Potts
shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — An inmate with a criminal history that includes assault has been charged with attacking a Rowan County Detention Center officer.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office charged Telvin Maurice Morgan, 29, of East Fisher Street, with felony assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting serious injury.
The incident occurred Sunday in pod No. 1 at the jail and involved Deputy A.M. Barrier, who had only been on the job since Oct. 5, according to Maj. John Sifford. Barrier was taken to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, where he was treated and has since been released.
Telvin Maurice Morgan
When other officers responded they found Morgan on top of the officer and the officer’s radio was inside a nearby trash can, Sifford said.
Barrier had one tooth knocked out, another nearly knocked out as well as multiple cuts to his face and head, Sifford said. The officer’s right earlobe was split, his left eye swollen shut, both lips busted and he also had concussion symptoms, Sifford said.
According to Barrier, the jail was giving hair cuts to the inmates and Barrier told Morgan to leave the area. Barrier was then punched.
While on his way to being placed in an isolated holding cell, Morgan allegedly bragged about assaulting the detention center officer and yelled racial slurs, Sifford said.
The investigators noted the blood and injuries to Morgan’s knuckles as they placed him in the holding cell. The incident was caught on camera, Sifford said.
Morgan was issued a $50,000 secured bond and is now in the Cabarrus County jail under a $73,000 secured bond.
Sifford said Morgan was initially in the Rowan County jail under a writ from Cabarrus County. He’d been charged July 6 with aggravated assault of a handicapped person. He has multiple upcoming court dates scheduled in both Rowan and Cabarrus counties.
Morgan has a history of assault charges, including a March 5 charge of assault inflicting serious bodily injury as well as a March 28, 2019 charge of resist, obstruct, delay an officer. On July 27, Morgan was charged with assault inflicting serious bodily injury, as well as probation violations on July 29, Sept. 30 and Dec. 11, 2019.
Morgan was charged with common law robbery on Dec. 3, 2019.