State prison officials investigating knife attack

Monday, October 25th 2004, 1:16 pm

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) _ Officials at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester are trying to find out what prompted an inmate to attack another with a knife in a prison exercise yard.

Prison spokeswoman Lee Mann says neither inmate was seriously hurt in last Thursday's attack, but both were checked out at the prison's medical facility.

Mann says the guards are unsure what prompted the attack.

She says a home-made knife made out of a fan shaft was recovered at the scene of the attack. Mann says inmates in some of the cellblocks without air conditioning have been allowed to have fans.

She says the prison is not releasing the names of either of the inmates because the altercation is still under investigation.