Inmate charged with assaulting Suffolk correction officer

An inmate held at the Suffolk Correctional Center in Riverhead on an attempted murder charge allegedly attacked and injured a correction officer at the jail, Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said Thursday.

Toulon announced the charges and showed video of what he described as an “unprovoked” attack Dec. 29 on the officer, 26.

Steven Reid III, 27, of Calverton, was charged with felony assault in the attack, in which Toulon said the inmate punched the officer three times as he exited a secure area.

Toulon said Reid is a Bloods gang member and has spent time in Suffolk County jail custody on six occasions. He is being held on an attempted murder charge from July, accused of opening fire at a candlelight vigil in Bellport for the fatal victim of a motorcycle crash, Toulon said.

The altercation last Friday may have started after Reid asked for a personal item, according to the sheriff.

The video shows the officer assisting another inmate with toilet paper as he returns to his cell. When the officer opens the door, the video shows Reid lunging at the officer, punching him in the face and injuring his wrist. 

The officer then disappears from view as Reid follows him. The inmate soon reappears on the video before running down a restricted jail corridor. Reid was pepper sprayed and eventually returned to his cell. He was also shocked twice with a stun gun as jail staff subdued him, Toulon said.

“I am the first person where my officers do something wrong to make sure that we have corrective action,” Toulon said. “But when they do something, you see an inmate … viciously assault a correctional officer … I will not stand for it, or the discredit of any member of service when they are doing the performance of their job.”

Reid's attorney, Eric Pack, declined to comment Thursday afternoon.

The officer, who Toulon did not identify, is a two-year veteran with the department and monitors about 40 inmates. Toulon said the officer remains off duty while recovering from his injuries.

Medical staff at the jail and Peconic Bay Medical Center examined Reid but he was not injured, the sheriff said.

The alleged assault is being investigated by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Internal Affairs Unit and will be presented to a grand jury, Toulon said. 

In 2023, more than 90 inmates were charged for crimes committed while in custody at the jail, according to the sheriff.

Reid faces 25 years to life in prison on the attempted murder charge and up to 7 years on the new assault charge, Suffolk County Chief Assistant District Attorney Allen Bode said. 

Louis Viscusi, president of the Suffolk County Corrections Officers Association, said if Reid is convicted on both charges, he hopes prosecutors seek consecutive sentences.

“It seems like an unprovoked attack and he followed protocol and training, and I commend him,” Viscusi said. “I don’t see any improper actions from the officer and it could have been a lot worse.”

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.