Published: October 22, 2008 09:42 pm         

Two federal inmates indicted for alleged assault

TERRE HAUTE — Two inmates in the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute have been indicted for assaulting a third inmate.

Michael S. Vaught, 37, and Whitney H. Smith, 24, were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Indianapolis for assault with intent to commit murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The charges came after an investigation by the Bureau of Prisons.

The indictment alleges that on May 27 in the Terre Haute facility, the pair cut the inmate’s neck and elsewhere on his body with a razor blade, inflicting serious injury.

Vaught and Smith face a maximum possible prison sentence of 20 additional years. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a U.S. magistrate in Terre Haute.