Three correctional officers attacked by two inmates — Crescent City, CA

Two Pelican Bay State Prison inmates have been charged with attempted murder in a January attack on three correctional officers.

Omar Cardenas and Moses Osuna were being let out of their cells for exercise Jan. 11 when they allegedly attacked two officers with handmade weapons in the yard, according to prison officials. A third officer was injured while trying to intervene.

Guards eventually stopped the attack using batons, officials said.

The three injured officers were taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, including stab wounds. All have since recovered and returned to work, said prison spokesman Lt. Christopher Acosta.

Cardenas and Osuna were arraigned last week in Del Norte County Superior Court on charges including attempted murder, battery on a correctional officer and special allegations of committing multiple felonies. Cardenas faces 10 counts, and Osuna faces five.

At the time of the attack, Cardenas was serving a 50-year sentence for first-degree murder, and Osuna was serving a 60-year-old sentence for carjacking and terrorist threats, according to Department of Corrections records. Both inmates’ cases were in Los Angeles County.

Deputy District Attorney Linda Specchio said the charges weren’t filed until Oct. 31 because prosecutors were awaiting results of an investigation into whether the attacks were gang-related or ordered by another party.

The probe was inconclusive, officials said, and only Cardenas and Osuna have been charged. “That’s all we could really prove,” Specchio said.

The inmates were assigned attorneys during last week’s arraignment and didn’t immediately enter pleas.

Osuna’s lawyer, James Fallman, said Tuesday his client plans to plead not guilty at a Dec. 8 hearing.

“As to some of the counts, the evidence is extremely weak,” Fallman said. He declined to elaborate.

Scott Hoxeng, who represents Cardenas, declined to comment, saying he had not yet met with his client and reviewed the case.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/22/BAID1M323T.DTL