Inmate sentenced to 41 months for attacking Western Virginia Regional Jail guard
ABINGDON — An inmate has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for beating and pepper-spraying a correctional officer while being held at the Western Virginia Regional Jail in Roanoke County.
Michael Selvidge, 38, received another 110 months for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances at a sentencing hearing this week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
While the drug charge was pending, Selvidge was being held at the regional jail.
On Jan. 16, a corrections officer was conducting security rounds when he encountered Selvidge and directed him to return to his cell.
Selvidge became upset, made threats, and ultimately attacked the officer by striking him numerous times with his fists, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During the attack, the officer attempted to repel Selvidge with his pepper spray but dropped the canister on the floor. Selvidge picked up the pepper spray, emptied it onto the officer’s face and body, and then threw the empty canister at the officer, the news release stated.
The drug charge stemmed from 2019, when Selvidge was incarcerated at the federal penitentiary in Lee County. He received 48 Suboxone strips from a visitor that he intended to distribute within the prison, federal authorities said.
