Inmate faces felonies in spit case

TEXARKANA — An inmate at the Southwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Texarkana is facing three new felony charges for spitting on two correctional officers and striking another in the face, according to authorities.

Troy O’Guinn, 31, struck correctional officer Robert Richardson in the face with a closed fist as Richardson attempted to break up a fight between two inmates during the afternoon of Sept. 15, according to a probable cause affidavit.

During the same incident, O’Guinn spit in the face of adviser Terrance Blakemore as Blakemore attempted to restrain O’Guinn, authorities said.

O’Guinn spit on correctional officer William Rice on the morning of Sept. 17 as Rice was issuing him a roll of tissue, authorities said. O’Guinn’s saliva struck Rice on the left side of his face and on the left shoulder of his uniform, the authorities said.

When O’Guinn was booked into the Miller County jail on an arrest warrant for all three charges, he was photographed wearing a spit guard. The device is used on detainees who have histories of spitting.

According to court records, a circuit judge in Columbia County sentenced O’Guinn in April to serve 24 months in a community correctional center for breaking and entering. O’Guinn was originally given five years of probation, but that was revoked because he failed to report in, to pay court-ordered fees or to participate in court-ordered programs.

O’Guinn has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a correction or law enforcement officer and a single count of second-degree battery. All three offenses are punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.