Dane Co. Jail inmate makes weapon from Scrabble part, locks deputy in cell

MADISON — Authorities say an inmate at a Wisconsin jail locked a deputy in a cell and made threats with a knife-like weapon he had apparently whittled from a Scrabble game letter tray.


A Dane County sheriff's spokeswoman says deputies conducting cell inspections Wednesday morning at Dane County Jail in Madison discovered that a 27-year-old male inmate had locked up one of their colleagues and was threatening to use his weapon.

Elise Schaffer says the locked-up deputy and another jailer talked the inmate into giving up the weapon. Schaffer says the deputy was locked up for a few minutes.

The sheriff's department says the inmate was a history of behavioral and mental health issues. He has since been returned to solitary confinement. The inmate's identity and criminal history haven't been released.