A Rikers Island female correction officer came face-to-face with an inmate, on Tuesday, that nearly raped her during an attack last month.
The February 28th attack has left the woman, whose identity has been protected, shaken but not broken.
She tells the Daily News, “I refused to be violated,” in her first exclusive interview since the incident took place.
Raleek Young, a 290-pound brute, had broken into a security post in a mental-health jail dormitory around 8:15 p.m. Video surveillance shows the inmate pulled down his pants and smashed the correction officer’s head into a wall.
“It had no effect,” she said of the pepper spray.
Young dragged her into a nearby bathroom, authorities said, and she began to think the end was near.
“I was worried about my life,” she recalled, as she choked back tears.
A group of inmates and two correction officers forced their way into the so-called bubble area and rescued her. Now she’s just happy to be alive.
“I’m so appreciative of those inmates and the two (correction officers),” she told The News. “Who knows what would have happened to me? How long it would have continued.”
Though the victim says she has struggled since the attack, she’s been amazed by the mountain of support from her colleagues. The correction officer — The News is withholding her name — noted that dozens have shown up at each of Young’s two court appearances in the Bronx.
“There’s so much support for me it’s been overwhelming,” she said.
Young, 27, was in jail for violating the terms of his parole for a 2007 rape of a 13-year-old girl.
On Tuesday, he was indicted on attempted rape, forcible touching, assault and harassment in the Rikers attack. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
