Montville — The state Department of Correction has placed seven employees — five correction officers and two correctional lieutenants — on paid administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation into an incident in which an inmate allegedly assaulted and injured staff at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center.

Spokeswoman Karen Martucci said to protect the integrity of the investigation, the department is withholding the names of those placed on leave, which was effective Jan. 17.

"Being placed on administrative leave does not presuppose guilt or innocence of those involved, which will only be determined once the agency's investigation has been completed," Martucci said in an email Wednesday morning.

On the morning of Jan. 15, Darryl Morin, 36, of Chaplin, an inmate at Corrigan, became combative with correction staff after displaying disoriented behavior in a dining hall and running from an officer who tried to approach him.

After Morin began to run, several correction officers assisted in trying to detain him.

Six officers were exposed to and tested for possible exposure to blood-borne pathogens because of the altercation, the department said. Of those six officers, two suffered injuries: one a torn ligament in his thumb; the other, a back injury.

Morin was taken to an area hospital where he was admitted for treatment. After being released from the hospital, he was sent back to a correctional facility, Martucci said. He is no longer under the supervision of the department, she said.

Morin was scheduled to appear in court in Danielson on Tuesday. A clerk there could not confirm whether Morin showed up to court, but said his case is continued until Feb. 20. Court records show his bond was reduced to zero with a promise to appear in court.

Morin was admitted to Corrigan on Jan. 14 after he failed to post a $25,000 bond on charges of second-degree larceny and interfering with a police officer in connection with allegedly stealing a car in Chaplin.

j.bergman@theday.com