Jailer loses finger in Comanche County Detention Center melee

A jailer lost her finger last week when two men attempted to escape from the Comanche County Detention Center.

One of the men made his initial court appearance Thursday to face nine felony charges.

Isaiah Durant Carpenter, 21, was charged in Comanche County District Court with maiming, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of discharging pepper spray against an officer, attempting to escape jail, conspiracy to commit escape from jail and kidnapping, records indicate.

Events unfurled shortly after 1 a.m. Jan. 9 when officers were called to help an inmate who was suffering a seizure. The inmate was in a cell with Carpenter and Tawann Dupree Richardson and they were taken out and directed to a bench in the booking area while a nurse assessed the ill inmate, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Carpenter is accused of grabbing an officer’s pepper spray from her hand and spraying a couple of guards before Carpenter and another guard struggled over control of the pre-booking area door. Investigators said Carpenter repeatedly punched a female guard in the face before shoving her to the ground, Detention Center Investigator David Weber stated.

Richardson followed suit by grabbing that officer’s pepper spray and as more guards attempted to Taser the men, the duo began pepper spraying the guards, the affidavit states.

The female guard was then dragged by Carpenter to the control board in an attempt to get her to open the door, Weber stated. Richardson tried to use the control board but couldn’t figure out how it works, so he began spraying the female guard with more pepper spray. Carpenter threw a fan, hitting her in the back, the affidavit states. He then is accused of throwing another object that struck a different guard before hitting her with the pepper spray can repeatedly to the back of the head.

After the other guard locked herself in the property room, Richardson and Carpenter are accused of grabbing leg restraints and beating the injured guard, Weber stated. At one point, Carpenter is accused of hitting that guard’s hand repeatedly, causing her to lose her finger.

Carpenter is accused of second-degree murder for the November 2021 stomping death of his great-grandmother, Mary Carpenter. He has been in the Comanche County Detention Center since Dec. 22, 2023.

Richardson, a.k.a. “Pooh Butt,” 24, has not been charged for the Jan. 9 incident but charges are expected. He has been in the jail since May 3, 2023, after he was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful removal of a dead body and possession of a firearm after former felony conviction. He is held on $1 million bond for those charges.

In that case, Richardson is accused of shooting Clayton Stephens in the face, killing him on April 9, 2023, and of dumping his body on Southwest Coombs Road near 38th Street. Through interviews, investigators learned Stephens and Richardson had been in a sexual relationship and believed the possibility of its exposure led to the shooting.

Carpenter, who is being held on $500,000 bond for the murder charges, received an additional $1 million bond for the latest charges. He returns to court at 3 p.m. Jan. 29 for his preliminary hearing conference, records indicate.