Mercer County inmate damages cell window, splits open arm

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident Monday involving an inmate that resulted in damage to a cell door and an injury to that inmate, Sheriff Jeff Grey said.

Kevin Joseph McDonald, 38, was arrested in the 500 block of South Main Street in Rockford by Police Chief Paul May for inducing panic.

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Upon arrival to the jail and being placed in an intake cell, McDonald was intoxicated when he wrapped his arm with a blanket and used it to beat a window in the cell, which shattered after several strikes, Grey said.

Corrections staff placed McDonald in a restraint chair to control him and keep him from harming himself further. Once calmed down, he was transported to Mercer Health for treatment after splitting open his arm from the incident.

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“In the last few years we have seen an increase in medical costs borne by the taxpayers as inmates harm themselves and destroy property,” Grey said. “It is really unfair to the taxpayers.”