By MIKE FEDERMAN of the East Oregonian
eastoregonian.com/front page/9-21-99
PENDLETON — An inmate at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill a prison guard.
Leslie R. Jones, an inmate at EOCI, was arraigned by video tape Monday and charged with attempted aggravated murder, first-degree assault, possession of a weapon by an inmate and supplying contraband, following a Sept. 3 beating incident involving security officer Sandy Ainsworth.
Jones, 33, is accused of stabbing and striking Ainsworth with a sharpened metal pipe and repeatedly striking her with his fists. Charges were brought following a grand jury indictment last week.
“His motive appears to be that he wanted to commit a crime for which the death penalty would be imposed,” said district attorney Chris Brauer. “Fortunately he didn’t succeed.”
Ainsworth suffered extensive bruising to her body and a broken ankle during the incident. She is home recovering from her injuries and said she is able to get around on her own with crutches.
“I’m still trying to come to grips with what happened,” Ainsworth said. “I’m still having nightmares.”
Returning to work is a priority for the 51-year-old security officer who has been with EOCI for more than 11 years.
“I want to go back as a corrections officer. That’s my job. That’s my life,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in law enforcement. I admire it.”
The reality of her condition, however, has made Ainsworth question whether she could handle the psychological stress of returning to a work environment where her life was placed in jeopardy.
She is seeking professional psychiatric care to help her overcome the emotional trauma of her ordeal.
Previously in her career, Ainsworth said she was punched in the face by an EOCI inmate but returned to work within a few days of that incident.
Recovering from the recent beating, however, is different.
“Some days I feel real good about it,” she said. “Other days it scares me. I have a lot of things going through my mind right now.”
Ainsworth’s petite, 5-foot-2 build made her an easy target for Jones, who she said attacked her from behind, trying to stab her with the pointed end of a metal pipe.
The weapon came from the prison’s kitchen area, according to Brauer, who said it appeared from the police report that Jones broke the pipe off a dishwasher and sharpened one end.
Ainsworth was the only guard on duty in the east dining hall at the time of the incident, about 1:20 p.m. The west dining hall guard responded but arrived after she was already unconscious, according to Ainsworth.
Connie Wright, local union representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the issue to be addressed is one of staff size.
“We need more staff,” she said. “Common sense tells you that if you have two people instead of one, you’re going to have less chance of an incident.”
Jones had asked the west dining hall guard to use the restroom but did not return, Wright said, adding that the west dining hall guard went to look for Jones and eventually found him with Ainsworth.
Since being transferred to EOCI in April 1998 from the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Jones had done nothing to indicate he required special supervision, Wright said.
“There were no red flags,” she said. “He appeared to be following the rules.”
Jones, a convicted murderer, is serving a life sentence. During his arraignment, public defender Renee Schmeling was appointed as his attorney and entered a plea of not guilty on all counts for her client.
Jones’ pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20.