Two Inmates Suspected of Trying to Kill Washington Jail Guard

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WENATCHEE — Two Chelan County inmates charged in separate homicides are accused of attempting to kill a corrections deputy on Monday.

Police say inmates Benito Eduardo Licea and Javier "Puppet" Valdez attacked a guard and stabbed him with "improvised" weapons made from materials found inside the Chelan County Regional Justice Center.

The deputy, who wasn't identified by authorities, suffered puncture wounds and lacerations to his head, neck, arm and hand, the Wenatchee Police Department said Tuesday in a news release. He was treated and released from Central Washington Hospital.

Licea and Valdez were arrested Monday on suspicion of attempted aggravated first-degree murder, prison riot and weapons possession by a prisoner.

Surveillance footage appears to show that Licea, 24, of Wenatchee, initiated the assault by striking the deputy and knocking him to the floor, the news release said. Valdez, 28, of Wenatchee, is reportedly shown joining and then striking the deputy in the head with stabbing motions.

A second deputy stopped the assault.



Investigators do not believe the weapons were smuggled into the jail.

Footage shows Licea and Valdez speaking to each other shortly before they attacked the deputy, police say.

Licea is being held at the jail on charges connected to the April 2022 death of 21-year-old David Lomeli Vasquez. Licea and co-defendant Andrew Francis Morrow are each charged in Superior Court with second-degree murder and drive-by shooting. Licea is also charged with residential burglary, while Morrow is also charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Valdez is being held at the jail on charges connected to the August 2022 death of 18-year-old Yair Flores. Valdez and co-defendant Markheil "Biggie" Ford are charged in Superior Court with aggravated first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

The attack is being investigated by Wenatchee police.