STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Monroe County inmate has been charged after allegedly stabbing a corrections officer as a way to escape from St. Luke’s Hospital.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 15, 41-year-old Melanie J. Guinther, an inmate at Monroe County Correctional Facility was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital-Monroe Campus for multiple medical conditions and was assigned an officer to look over her during her stay.
During Guinther’s stay at the hospital she was shackled by one ankle to the bed, police say.
Police said on March 20, Guinther asked her assigned officer to use the bathroom. The officer released her ankle from the bed and cuffed both ankles together.
When Guinther came out of the bathroom she allegedly told her assigned officer, “I’m not going back, I’m not going back to jail” and the officer responded “oh yes you are”. At that moment Guinther began attacking the officer with a knife yelling “I’m not going back, let me die,” investigators said. The criminal complaint state Guinther stabbed the officer repeatedly in the neck, torso and back.
As stated in the affidavit, after a couple of minutes the officer was able to grab the knife from Guinther when she became limp, but as soon as she regained consciousness she attempted to grab the knife one more time before she was successfully detained.
Officers say, Guinther, admitted to officers she wanted to escape while in the bathroom and that she got the ‘butter knife’ from her meal tray that is provided by the hospital staff with their meals.
Guinther has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, assault by a prisoner, and escape.
