Authorities now say a convicted killer slit the throat of a correctional officer in a sewing workshop in the Limon Correctional Facility.
Allen Thomas Jr.’s attack Wednesday on the unidentified correctional officer wasn’t surprising to family members of 71-year-old Leah Mae Bratsch, whom Thomas raped and killed.
Thomas had attacked an Adams County Sheriff’s deputy during his murder trial, and he had slit Leah Bratsch’s throat during the attack in 1991, the murder victim’s son, Robert Bratsch, said today.
“I just turned the news on, and I saw the man who killed my mother,” Bratsch said. “Even during the trial, he assaulted guards.”
Thomas struck a supervisor of a work program with his fist at about 3:10 p.m., said Katherine Sanguinetti, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections.
He started dragging her by her foot when she called for backup. Thomas had the officer pinned against a wall with a knife to her throat when four to six officers rushed into the area, Sanguinetti said.
When he cut her throat, the officers tackled Thomas and restrained him, she said.
His victim, whose name has not been released, was flown by helicopter to a Denver hospital, where she is in good condition today, Sanguinetti said.
Gov. Bill Ritter and state prison director Ari Zavaras visited the Limon Correctional Facility employee Wednesday night.
“The officer is doing very well,” Zavaras said. “We feel very fortunate that it wasn’t more serious.”
The prison is in lockdown, with prisoners of the high-security facility being kept in their cells indefinitely while the investigation is continuing, Sanguinetti said.
“Our primary concern is keeping everybody safe,” she said.
Thomas was taken to the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City. It is the highest security prison in Colorado. His movements are being videotaped.
It is unclear why he attacked the prison supervisor, Sanguinetti said.
But Bratsch said Thomas had already proven his contempt for people. Thomas had been dating a relative who had been staying with Bratsch’s mother when he sneaked into the house.
“It was a very heinous crime,” Bratsch said. “My father found her lying in the living room in a pool of blood.”
During the trial, Thomas struck an officer in the head with a mop, said Bratsch’s wife, Jacqueline.
Thomas is serving a life sentence for the Adams County murder. He also is serving 50 years for sexual assault, 40 years for burglary and 50 years for robbery, Sanguinetti said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
