Report: Murder indictee assaults jail guard

PERKINS TWP. — A man jailed in Erie County is accused of striking a guard during a recent altercation. Toldrick M. Griffin, Jr., 19, of Rochelle, Georgia, was indicted on one count of assault. The charge was enhanced to a fifth-degree felony because the alleged victim was a corrections officer. At about 10 a.m. on April 22, an Erie County Jail guard reportedly learned of jail policy violation Griffin allegedly committed. The corrections officer ordered Griffin back into his cell, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. Griffin became defiant and started verbally abusing the staff member, the report states. When the officer asked Griffin to move back into his cell, Griffin reportedly told the guard, "you step in." Then called him a derogatory name. He then allegedly told the officer that he would, "stretch your goofy (expletive), just like that (woman)." Griffin was possibly referring to the charges he is in jail for. In February, Griffin is alleged to have strangled a pregnant woman to death in a Sandusky home. Other inmates then escorted Griffin to his cell, the report states. Once in the cell, the guard located a tablet on Griffin's cot, which is a violation of jail policy. The officer ordered Griffin to the back wall of the cell so he could retrieve the tablet. Griffin allegedly refused and approached the guard aggressively. At that point, the guard reportedly shoved Griffin to create space between the two. Griffin then approached the officer again, cocked back and swung on the officer, connecting a closed-fist punch to the officer's head, the report states. The officer then attempted to hold Griffin against the cell wall while other guards could respond. Griffin reportedly broke free from the guard's hold and then attempted to wrap his arms around the officer's neck, but his grip slipped, the report states. The inmate then attempted to punch the guard once again but missed. Other jail guards then made it to the cell and Griffin was placed in a restraint chair. The next day, the investigating deputy drew up an assault charge for Griffin and then asked him if he wanted to talk about what happened. Griffin allegedly said the guard spoke disrespectfully to him but could not say what specific statement set him off. He is incarcerated in Erie County Jail under a $1 million bond for his three counts of murder. Case details for the assault charge have not been uploaded to the county's clerk of courts website as of late Thursday. Griffin has a pretrial set for June 2 and a final plea hearing set for July 28 for his murder indictment. His trial, which is estimated to last five days, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on August 5 in Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Roger Binette's court.