By Joe Smillie Forum Editor

Operations returned to normal at Clallam Bay Corrections Center on Saturday morning after a day of lockdown was called when an inmate allegedly stabbed another with a shank made out of a toothbrush.

The prison was locked down from Thursday night until Saturday morning while Clallam County sheriff’s deputies and prison guards combed the prison for contraband, according to Norah West, communications specialist for the state Department of Corrections.

Daniel E. Johnson, 32, in the corrections center for two Whatcom County murders, remained in a maximum-security unit of the prison Saturday for allegedly stabbing another inmate.

Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Ron Cameron said Johnson reportedly fashioned a shank out of a toothbrush and stabbed an unnamed fellow inmate in the face.

West, who would not identify the victim, said he was treated at Forks Community Hospital on Thursday evening and returned to the prison later that night.

Prisoners’ movements were restricted during the lockdown to allow deputies to investigate, West said.

The incident could lead to an assault charge against Johnson, West said.

As of yet, authorities have not determined how the assault came about.

Johnson is in the corrections center on two counts of second-degree murder. His sentence is scheduled to complete in February 2050.

The Clallam Bay Corrections Center, located on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula, houses about 850 offenders in medium-, close- and maximum-custody units. It and the Washington State Penitentiary are the two highest-security prisons in Washington.