Inmate accused of assaulting Monroe officer had secret wedding
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MONROE, Wash. - An inmate accused of beating a prison correctional officer at the Monroe Corrections Complex has a bizarre history, including a clandestine marriage to a former jail guard.
According to Pierce County deputies, inmate Jimi Hamilton is a problem who won't go away.
"We know that our suspect here was brutal, arrogant," says Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
Hamilton's infamy began more than five years ago when he was in Pierce County Jail for bank robbery. While awaiting sentencing, he struck up a love relationship with jail guard Sara Camarillo.
"She was a corrections officer, she wasn't on very long," says Troyer. "We immediately found out what was happening through some ... letters and correspondence between the two."
Hamilton's affair with Camarillo turned into a secret marriage - literally moments before he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for robbery.
"Same trip to the courtroom, they did it in the back room without letting us know 'cause we're going to try to do everything we can to disrupt it - not let it occur," says Troyer.
Meanwhile, he says, Camarillo resigned before Pierce County could fire her.
"The whole thing was a scam of the system," says Troyer.
Now, five years later, Hamilton is serving time in a special offender unit at Monroe. He has a history of infractions within prison, including assaulting custodial staff.
According to the Department of Corrections, he apparently approached an officer there Thursday morning, saying he wanted to file a grievance.
Instead, in front of a dozen witnesses, Hamilton allegedly attacked the officer, punched him in the face and threw him on the floor.
A video camera captured the attack - but there is no audio and no confirmation about what provoked it.
KOMO News tried to find out more from the Monroe officer, who's now home from the hospital, but he would not go on camera.
Meanwhile, the whole case is the reopening of an old wound for Pierce County.
"It doesn't surprise us that they've both reappeared," says Troyer.
Hamilton himself is expected to be formally charged next week. KOMO News could not reach the former jail guard who is now his wife.
According to Pierce County deputies, inmate Jimi Hamilton is a problem who won't go away.
"We know that our suspect here was brutal, arrogant," says Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
Hamilton's infamy began more than five years ago when he was in Pierce County Jail for bank robbery. While awaiting sentencing, he struck up a love relationship with jail guard Sara Camarillo.
"She was a corrections officer, she wasn't on very long," says Troyer. "We immediately found out what was happening through some ... letters and correspondence between the two."
Hamilton's affair with Camarillo turned into a secret marriage - literally moments before he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for robbery.
"Same trip to the courtroom, they did it in the back room without letting us know 'cause we're going to try to do everything we can to disrupt it - not let it occur," says Troyer.
Meanwhile, he says, Camarillo resigned before Pierce County could fire her.
"The whole thing was a scam of the system," says Troyer.
Now, five years later, Hamilton is serving time in a special offender unit at Monroe. He has a history of infractions within prison, including assaulting custodial staff.
According to the Department of Corrections, he apparently approached an officer there Thursday morning, saying he wanted to file a grievance.
Instead, in front of a dozen witnesses, Hamilton allegedly attacked the officer, punched him in the face and threw him on the floor.
A video camera captured the attack - but there is no audio and no confirmation about what provoked it.
KOMO News tried to find out more from the Monroe officer, who's now home from the hospital, but he would not go on camera.
Meanwhile, the whole case is the reopening of an old wound for Pierce County.
"It doesn't surprise us that they've both reappeared," says Troyer.
Hamilton himself is expected to be formally charged next week. KOMO News could not reach the former jail guard who is now his wife.
This women, ex guard, must have no self esteem to even considar this dude a friend let alone anything else. She too needs help. As for Jimi boy, throw the book at him !!! Loser
Ladies ladies ladies . We all know you love a bad boy, but love that starts in Prison is never a good idea.Â
What does Ed mean, "both reappeared?" I don't see ex-officer Camarillo involved anywhere. I worked up at Monroe for many years. When they first opened up Twin Rivers (not the most sophisticated inmates there), no less than 26 female staff members became involved with convicts during the first 3-4 years. Their backgrounds ran the gamut professionally from clerks and kitchen staff to officers (including one officer-of the-year), counselors, nurses and other health care professionals. Very common. Very embarassing. I had a good laugh about the officer of the year there. She received approximately 2 nominations from her peers while I received 36. Politics everywhere.Â
Put him down!
can't we just shoot him?
This sounds like a 3-ring circus or a really bad episode of Jerry Springer.
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What a waste of life.
Two things: (1) How is this backstory even relevant now? Why dredge it up again 5 years later? (2) - "It doesn't surprise us that they've both reappeared," says Troyer. - Who's the second party to whom Troyer refers? The wife? What does she have to do with this week's incident? Or did I miss something?
@anon4444 Another thing I don't understand is why is says "KOMO News tried to find out more from the Monroe officer, who's now home from the hospital, but he would not go on camera." So what if he didn't want to go on camera? Did he decline to comment on the incident as well or what? If so, why not just say, "He declined to comment."
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Komo's reporting staff makes every story more confusing than what it should be.
 @anon4444 You didn't miss anything.
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There is no story here at all. I guess KOMO thought that an article with a "secret wedding" would be enough.
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KOMO doesn't even explain who performed this so called wedding, and if it is legal ( I doubt it).
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Why does it matter what "provoked" him to attack the guard? Why does it matter that he married the other guard? Just add another assault to his record, and put him in solitary. I don't understand how the assaulted guard let this happen, don't they have guns? Or at least tasers? I have never resided in the house of the many sliding doors.
 @Insomniac Dreams He didn't "let" it happen, the cretin attacked him out of the blue and he was cold-cocked. He may lose his eye. He was knocked unconscious. Ever been surprised by an unexpected action?
 @Glassman Sounds like they need to change the way they do things so the guards are safer. I thought that was supposed to have happened after the other guard was attacked in the Chapel in Monroe a while back?Â
@Insomniac Dreams - I am married to a correctional officer. Guns would be too dangerous for them to carry. Considering the ratio of staff to inmates, if an officer was overpowered and an inmate got hold of a gun, it could spell disaster. Tasers? Hell, the state can't even make sure they have functional chairs or computers half the time. Some officers are lucky enough to be able to carry OC, but that is only on certain units. As for this guys marriage to the former Pierce County correctional officer...word has it she's been very good at coaching him in working the system. He has a long history of custodial assault, yet he manages to end up in a unit where they have a lot of freedom? There are some hard questions that need to be asked.
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@LocalLady @maintainsopenmind
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OP - Original Poster
OC - Short for pepper spray(Oleoresin Capsicum)
 @maintainsopenmindÂ
For those of us with no background in corrections, what is an "OP"? Also, another poster refered to "carrying OC" - what does that mean?
@maintainsopenmind Ive worked with this officer for the past 4 years and can tell you he is not one who "Lives behind the badge". He's straight forward, good guy that got the losing end of the stick. Hamilton had just come from Segregation/Intensive management unit before arriving on the medium security "mentally-ill" unit the assault happened on.
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What you wont hear is how did this offender maintain MI3 status with over a half dozen custodial assaults on record? Oh that's right, administration wants to give hugs to thugs who cry that they cant control thier anger at 33 years of age.
I was unaware that he had a secret wife. Either way that wouldn't go over to well since I am a man with a wife and kids but thank you for your effort and snicker!Â
Whenever someone goes against popularity on this subject people always want to say "got family inside?"Â Fortunately I have not had to deal with any family members being incarcerated!
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As far as an ax to grind I have none. I just don't like when I see nothing but ignorance being displayed by adults. I am someone who beleves this system works when it's being ran properly and I have witnessed those who do care about their job enough to make that happen.
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I can see how my post can be viewed as lashing out at the OP and it took away from what I was trying to bring to light. I will delete my post since there is no option to edit it and send my apologies to the OP. I do however stick to my stance that just because you are wearing a uniform it doesn't automatically make you innocent. Some C/O's are not there for the greater good but for the feeling of power and control they get.Â
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You are free to your opinion of me and in your eyes I am an embarrassment to the human race due to my stance, thank God I can go to bed tonight and know I will wake up and your opinion will not keep me there!
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Again my prayers go out to the families involved!
 @maintainsopenmind You are an embarrassment to the human race. Got family inside? Sounds like you have a personal axe to grind.
 @mccwife Thanks for the inside info. I hope your husband stays safe. Seems odd to me that this guy even gets to be out of his cell for any length of time. Maybe it will at least keep him locked up longer. Â
@Insomniac Dreams @mccwife Just put him down, like a dog.
his "wife" Â needs to be fixed before they can add to the population of idiots on the planet.
Ill ask for the 39th time. Why not have male guards in the male prisons, and female guards in the female prisons? When you put men and women together, people are going to start bangin I dont care what the job is.
 @thatsjarrod it's called discrimination.
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That's because you can't aim & you leave the seat up.
 @ulquiorra   Good point. "Discrimination" is thrown around way too much these days and sometimes misused to do things that make no sense. It really invalidates issues of real discrimination.