Cache County Jail inmate admits to attempting to assault guard with wire strippers

LOGAN — A 30-year-old inmate at the Cache County Jail, Mutaz Mohamed has confessed to attacking a correctional officer with a pair of wire strippers in August. 

According to court records, Mohamed appeared Oct. 29 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to possessing a weapon inside the jail, a second-degree felony; and aggravated assault by a prisoner, amended to a third-degree felony. A remaining charge was dismissed without prejudice. 

According to prosecutors, Mohamed was under lockdown restrictions limiting him to one hour outside his cell per day. On Aug. 23, he was repeatedly using his emergency intercom button to request to be let out after maintenance issues disrupted the block’s rotation schedule. 

A deputy in the control room attempted to disable the intercom in Mohamed’s cell but accidentally hit the button that opened his door, releasing him from lockdown. 

When Mohamed left his cell and refused orders to return, a deputy began escorting him back. Investigators allege that during the escort, Mohamed reached into his waistband and retrieved a pair of wire strippers, attempting to turn toward the deputy before his movements were restricted. 

A review of jail surveillance footage confirmed that a maintenance worker had dropped the wire strippers near Mohamed’s cell door. Mohamed was seen on video retrieving the tool and hiding it in his waistband just prior to the incident, according to detectives. 

Mohamed remains in jail, being held without bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17.