‘I walked into a perfect storm': Retired Miami-Dade corrections officer sues county after inmate attack

"I’m bleeding everywhere … blood everywhere." 

This is how a retired Miami-Dade corrections officer describes an attack by an inmate on Dec. 7, 2021. 

Photos provided by Janel Navarro show her bloody uniform, a bruised eye, and a wound on her forehead. 

Navarro, who spent most of her 25-year career at Metro West Detention Center, says she was working at the jail that day. She shared surveillance video that shows inmate Jermaine Jones getting out of his bunk and smashing a computer on the floor.

"He picked something up off the floor, ran towards me around the desk and he proceeded to stab me with whatever he had in his hand and punch me right here on the side of my head, and that's the last thing I remember,” she said. 

She described how other inmates stepped in to help her. 

"They were dragging me out of the pile of a bunch of inmates,” Navarro said, while getting emotional. “If it wasn't for the unit, and the rapport I had with my inmates, I firmly believe I would have died in the line of duty."

Documents provided by the department show Jones got into a fight with another officer just a few weeks before her attack. He was moved to a special management unit but eventually ended up in general population at Metro West.

“That inmate never should have been cleared,” Navarro said. “I'm not the only officer that will be attacked.”

NBC6 found Jones was charged with battery in two other confrontations with corrections officers at a different facility after Navarro’s attack. She shared an internal memo that shows special handling instructions were sent to jail staff after the latest incident citing Jones’ “aggressive” behavior. 

“It’s almost like I walked into a perfect storm,” she said. 

NBC6 has reported on violence at the jail where Navarro was attacked in recent years, following hundreds of incidents involving officers and inmates. 

“The county is one day away from a major catastrophe, and I'm not sure if it's going to be with an officer or an inmate,” she said, adding the ratio is 72 inmates for one officer in an open bay setting.

Navarro is now suing Miami-Dade County, claiming she suffered "serious and permanent injuries.” The lawsuit also states her supervisor was retaliatory and knew that she “would be in unsafe working conditions” when she was assigned to that unit. 

In court filings, county attorneys denied the allegations, saying Navarro “failed to take preventive measures to avoid harm.” 

“Officer Navarro was put in the line of duty at risk when she should have been in a senior light duty position where she was not in a bay with 72 inmates,” said Victor Ruiz, who is representing Navarro in the case. 

“She has had to retire early because of this incident,” he said. 

NBC6 made multiple requests for an interview with the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department director, who was appointed last year, but we received a statement instead: “While MDCR does not comment on ongoing litigation, we remain committed to transparency within legal requirements and committed to ensuring the safety, security, and integrity of our department’s operations."  

Jones is currently in state prison. He was convicted of battery in Navarro's case and the other two cases involving corrections officers in 2022. 

"My life matters. The story needs to be told,” Navarro said.