NEWPORT — Anthony Fitzgerald, a 32-year-old inmate at Northern State Correctional Facility, recently appeared in court to accept a plea agreement. Fitzgerald was initially charged with aggravated assault and simple assault for a 2021 incident involving an attack on a corrections officer.
The confrontation began when Fitzgerald obstructed the view into his cell by placing paper over the door window. After refusing to remove the obstruction and threatening self-harm, an extraction team intervened.
During this intervention, Fitzgerald stabbed an officer multiple times in the head and abdomen.
Fitzgerald’s plea to a reduced charge of Simple Assault on a Protected Professional resulted in the dismissal of the aggravated assault charge with prejudice. The accepted deal includes a sentence of 150 to 190 days, with credit for time already served.
Despite the resolution of these charges, Fitzgerald remains in custody on unrelated charges.