Inmate Punches Female Guard

A Salina man who was in jail for smashing a power pole in a stolen truck back in December is facing new charges for attacking two guards.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan tells KSAL News that 20-year-old Zachary McKay was being moved to a different cell on Wednesday evening around 7:30pm when he allegedly attacked a female guard.

Sheriff Soldan says the 63-year-old woman suffered fractured bones in her face, while a 27-year-old male guard required stitches in his lip after the scuffle took place inside the Saline County Jail. McKay is now facing charges that could include aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, battery of the other deputy and damage to property for breaking the woman’s glasses.

McKay is accused of leading Salina Police officers on a high speed chase on December 16, 2019 that ended after he ran a stop sign in a stolen Ford truck, hit a telephone box and then an Evergy power pole on Cherokee Drive. The power outage caused the closure of Sunset Elementary School for the day.