A homemade knife fashioned from a piece of metal crutches was found in the jail cell of a man being held on suspicion of trying to kill a Denver police officer , authorities say.
Jason Wood, 36, was charged Monday with possession of contraband in addition to the counts he faces for allegedly shooting .
Wood is being held at Denver’s downtown jail, where the shank was allegedly found.
The Denver Sheriff Department confirmed that the knife was discovered in Wood’s cell, but forwarded further questions on the incident to prosecutors. News of the new case was .
The shank was found April 13 by a jail guard and was attached to a string in Wood’s toilet, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“You found my bleeder,” Wood told the guard who found the weapon, the affidavit says.
Lopez was almost killed , who was also wounded in the foot during the traffic stop near Federal Boulevard and Clyde Place.
Lopez was critically injured in the flurry of gunfire. The seven-year veteran of the city’s police department underwent hours of surgery for multiple wounds to the upper and lower parts of his body.
Wood appeared in Denver District Court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty in Lopez’s shooting, prosecutors say.
Wood is due back in court June 27 for a disposition hearing on the charges stemming from the shootout.
Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney’s Office, said Wood will be back in court later this week for a hearing in the new contraband case.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
