HCSO Corrections Deputy Assaulted by Inmate

On Sunday, a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Deputy was assaulted at the Silverdale Detention Center by inmate Rodney Edward Ballard.

According to a press release by HCSO, inmate Ballard was in his housing unit, stepped out of his cell, and then assaulted the Corrections Deputy.

During this assault, the Corrections Deputy was struck in the face and sustained minor injuries.

The assault resulted in both the Corrections Deputy and the inmate being treated by medical personnel.

“Every day our corrections personnel perform an extremely difficult and often dangerous job to ensure both the safety of our community as well as inmates in our correctional facilities, said Chief Deputy Austin Garrett. “This assault highlights the challenges and violence our personnel face every day in the performance of their duties.”

Rodney Edward Ballard, 55 of a Myra Avenue address, was charged with Simple Assault in connection with this incident and remains in custody. Ballard was arrested last week by East Ridge police for allegedly violating an order of protection.

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.