Inmate is accused of stabbing guards

Gerald Catchings, in court with his lawyer, Myron Duhart, is accused of using a handmade weapon to assault guards while being transferred to a solitary confinement unit at the Toledo Correctional Institution. He already was serving a life sentence for murdering a fellow inmate in 2006 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. Mr. Duhart has requested evaluation of his competency to stand trial.

An inmate serving a life sentence at the Toledo Correctional Institution for killing another inmate in prison appeared in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Monday on charges that he attacked four prison guards.

Gerald Catchings, 41, is charged with four counts each of attempt to commit murder and felonious assault. He is accused of using a handmade weapon, commonly referred to as a shank, to stab four guards who were attempting to move him.

Attorney Myron Duhart, who was appointed to represent Catchings, asked that he be referred to the Court Diagnostic & Treatment Center to determine if he is competent to stand trial. Judge Gary Cook ordered the evaluation and set an Aug. 13 hearing date.

According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, which investigated the incident, three corrections officers were attempting to move the inmate into a solitary unit April 6. When the guards opened the cell door, the inmate ran at the officers and stabbed them.

A fourth guard was stabbed while trying to assist. The officers were able to gain control of the inmate until help arrived.

The corrections officers were treated for wounds to the neck, chest, head, shoulder, eye, and nose.

Catchings was incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Institution after being convicted in 2006 of murder and possession of a deadly weapon under detention. At that time, he was serving a sentence for aggravated burglary and burglary in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville when he killed another inmate using a shank, Assistant County Prosecutor Jennifer Donovan said.

He will be up for parole in July, 2026. If convicted on the new charges, a maximum of 72 years could be added to his term.