BUTTE — A corrections officer at the Montana State Prison is facing charges alleging he injured a prisoner during a dispute in March.
Thomas Blomquist faces a felony count of mistreating prisoners and misdemeanor official misconduct in connection with trapping an inmate's arm in a food slot, opening and kicking the slot door several times causing the inmate pain and superficial injuries to his arm.
The guard is accused of pulling the inmate’s arm through the slot and ratcheting the slot door down, before kicking the slot door.
Blomquist allegedly left the area with the key that would have opened the slot, and another corrections officer had to find a spare key to open the slot. The inmate’s arm was trapped for about three to four minutes, according to charging documents.
Blomquist pleaded not guilty to the charges in June and has a trial date on Oct. 21 in Powell County District Court.
“The Department of Corrections employs nearly 1400 hard-working professionals around the state who carry out their jobs with skill, compassion, and competency,” according to an emailed statement from Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin. “These individuals are the backbone of our agency and they work hard to maintain public safety in Montana. We have zero tolerance for any individual who mistreats anyone in custody, and as you can see from the charges filed, anyone engaging in this activity will be held accountable to the greatest extent of the law.”
According to the Montana Department of Corrections, Blomquist is no longer with the prison.
