ORDWAY, Colo.—A kitchen worker killed at a state prison is being praised as a small woman who had a big impact on prisoners.
Sgt. Mary K. Ricard, 55, who was 5-foot-2, died Monday in an assault involving an inmate while breakfast was being prepared at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Crowley. Another worker, Sgt. Lori Gann, was seriously injured in the attack.
Miguel Alonso Contreras-Perez, who is serving 35 years to life for kidnapping and sexual assault, has been named a person of interest in Ricard’s death.
The Denver Post reports Ricard was determined to work with inmates. She taught them cooking skills they could use when they got out of prison.
Friends said that for her, it was more a religious calling than a job. She wanted to help prisoners, reach out to them. It was God’s work, said her 33-year-old daughter, Katie Smith.
Ricard recently had proposed starting a pastry class for inmates.
“She accepted them. If they had a bad day, she would say something to them to brighten their day. She was a friend to many, but a mother to all,” Smith said.
Inmates she worked with adored her and are, likewise, grieving, said prisons spokeswoman Alison Morgan. Counselors were called in to help inmates and correctional officers alike.
Contreras-Perez pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual assault in El Paso County in 2004 in a case involving a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison, court records show. He began serving his sentence at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility in 2004 and was transferred to the Arkansas Valley facility last year.
Crowley County Coroner Karen Tomky issued a written statement Wednesday saying Ricard died of a stab wound to the neck. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the state Inspector General’s Office are investigating.
A funeral for Ricard was scheduled Saturday at Buena Vista. A public memorial service was planned 10 a.m. Monday at Crowley County High School.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
