KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An inmate in Morgan County has pleaded guilty after attacking a correctional officer according to the 9th Judicial District Attorney General.
Rony Sorto, 35, pled guilty to aggravated assault and possession of a weapon in a penal institution on January 30. According to the DA, Sorto, an inmate at the Morgan County Correctional Complex, used a “shank’ concealed in a towel to attack an MCCX Correctional Officer in October 2021. The officer was stabbed multiple times.
Sorto was serving a 40-year sentence for Aggravated Rape and Especially Aggravated Kidnapping at MCCX. The end date for this sentence was April 2051.
When interviewed by the TDOC Office of Investigations and Conduct, Sorto told investigators the officer had taken his food, closed his door so he could not take a shower and taken his water bottle. Sorto told the agent, “I had to do what I had to do.”
At his sentencing, the officer testified about the impact of the attack, his injuries, treatment and recovery have had on him and his family.
“I went into work on October 8th not knowing that day would change my life,” said the officer. “I just wish I could be normal again, I am only 21 years old and now I have to live the rest of my life in fear.”
Aggravated assault and possession of a weapon in a penal institution carry a sentence between 3-15 years and are class C Felonies. Sorto was sentenced by Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks to 10 years in the TDOC. The additional time will be added to Sorto’s current 40-year sentence.
“Inmates who break the laws in prison, especially assaults on those trying to ensure their safety, will be aggressively prosecuted even if they are already serving lengthy prison sentences. With the addition of 10 years added to his sentence, the District Attorney’s Office is hopeful Inmate Sorto will not create any more victims and will spend his life in prison,” said Ninth Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
Sorto is currently being housed in Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville.