Man charged for repeatedly punching prison guard in August assault

Charges filed in Washington County detail an assault that left a corrections officer injured this past summer.

James Ray Evans, 27, who was serving time for an attempted murder conviction and a separate burglary conviction, was seen on surveillance video attacking a corrections officer at the Stillwater Prison. He is now charged with fourth-degree assault for the attack.

Court documents state that Evans was in line for breakfast around 7:20 a.m. inside the B-West unit of the prison. He then approached the prison guard and without provocation or warning, punched him with a closed fist, according to the complaint.

Video surveillance footage showed the guard falling backward before Evans stood over him and continued to punch the guard in the face and head with closed fists. Evans then stomped on the guard’s head, after which he began beating his chest and yelling.

The guard said after the assault that he could “taste blood” in his mouth and felt a “warm aching feeling” on the left side of his face and lips. The criminal complaint details “visible swelling to his face” and that the guard was taken to the hospital after the attack.

Evans was then moved to the Oak Park Heights Maximum Security Prison, where he currently remains.