BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

A federal grand jury in Ashland has indicted three men in connection with an alleged stabbing at United States Penitentiary Big Sandy in Martin County.

Gilbert Saldana, Edward Rodriguez and Alfred Fabrow were indicted Aug. 27 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm.

According to the indictment, the alleged assault occurred July 6 inside USP Big Sandy.

Prosecutors allege the three men assaulted a person identified by the initials R.G.G. with a homemade stabbing instrument.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. The charge also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment and possible restitution.

Court records show Rodriguez is currently being held at the Bexar County Jail in San Antonio, Texas, in connection with alleged violations of state law. Federal prosecutors asked the court Aug. 27 to order his transfer temporarily to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service so he can be brought to federal court in Eastern Kentucky for arraignment and other proceedings.

The government also filed a motion seeking an arrest warrant for Rodriguez.

An indictment is an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.