EAST FELICIANA PARISH - An inmate at a state prison is charged with attempted rape after he allegedly blindsided a corrections officer Thursday morning.

The Department of Corrections says 34-year-old Jeffery Ford, an offender being held at the Dixon Correctional Institute, sneaked up behind a guard around 7 a.m. and placed her in a chokehold. After Ford slammed the woman to the ground, several inmates came to her assistance and helped subdue Ford.

He was booked by East Feliciana deputies on one count of attempted second-degree rape and placed in administrative segregation following the attack. Ford is serving 40 years for a February 12, 2003, attempted aggravated rape conviction out of Orleans Parish. His full term release date was set for June 6, 2042.

The officer's injuries were non-life threatening.

An investigation is ongoing.