Wisconsin youth prison employee declared brain dead after attacking inmate

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin juvenile detention center employee was pronounced brain dead after an altercation with an inmate, the county coroner said Wednesday.

The man was declared brain dead on Tuesday so the family can proceed with organ donation, Lincoln County Coroner Valerie Caylor said.

The man was injured Monday night in a fight at Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake Schools, the state’s youth prison in Irma, in northern Wisconsin. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Beth Hardtke said a 16-year-old inmate attacked a staff member in a dorm and then attacked a second staff member.

The first employee was taken to a hospital, treated and released. The second employee’s head struck concrete.

The inmate did not suffer any injuries that required medical treatment, Hardtke said.

The attack was investigated by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office.

The sheriff’s department will release more information later Wednesday, Caylor said.

Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake is Wisconsin’s only youth prison. The facility has been plagued by allegations of staff mistreatment of inmates, including excessive use of pepper spray, restraints and strip searches. A court-appointed warden currently oversees the facility.