The felony offense was held for arraignment next month.
An inmate at the state prison in Skippack Township accused of punching a correctional officer in the face had a felony aggravated assault charge held over for county court at a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Jose Noel Busanet, 51, of the 1500 block of Walters Mill Road, Somerset, heads to formal arraignment in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on Nov. 13 at 9:30 a.m., according to court records.
Busanet’s bail was set at $50,000 cash.
On March 12, at 7:26 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Investigation Unit was notified of an assault on a state correctional officer at SCI Phoenix, per the affidavit.
The victim told police Busanet was being housed in a special unit of the prison, and the victim told Busanet that the closing of the cell doors was not deliberate, and they were not intentionally slammed, police said.
Busanet told the victim, police allege, that if the doors slam, then he was going to “punch y’all in the face.”
The victim continued to talk to Busanet, asking why he wanted to punch officers, at which time, Busanet suddenly hit the officer three times in the face with a closed fist, police said.
The officer fell and began profusely bleeding from the mouth, per the report, and had to receive medical attention.
The alleged assault was captured on video surveillance, police said.
