Crime & Safety

Convicted Murderer Receives Extended Sentence at Oak Park Heights Prison for Assault

A 36-year-old Oak Park Heights inmate was sentenced to serve 27 additional months in prison after allegedly assaulting another prisoner with a modified toothbrush.

A 36-year-old Oak Park Heights prison inmate was sentenced to an extended prison sentence after he assaulted another prisoner with a toothbrush that had a razor blade melted to the end of it.

Wambli Ska McArthur was ordered to serve 27 additional months in prison last week after being convicted in Washington County District Court of aiding and abetting second-degree assault stemming from a fight May 20, 2010 in Complex 6 of the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, a maximum security prison.

According to court records, McArthur was serving a life sentence on a first-degree murder conviction stemming from a January 2006 shooting in Minneapolis at the time he assaulted another inmate.

Find out what's happening in Stillwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the criminal complaint:

An Oak Park Heights correctional officer noticed a fight break out after hearing an ice scoop from an ice machine fall to the floor. He then saw McArthur and another inmate exchanging punches, the complaint states.

Find out what's happening in Stillwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The correctional officer called for additional prison staff to respond, and when they arrived, the officers told the inmates to stop fighting, but their commands were ignored.

During the brawl, a prison corrections officer saw a third inmate join McArthur’s side of the fight and started punching the victim, the complaint states. Prison staff eventually secured the area, when an inmate who witnessed the fight told officers that McArthur used a weapon, which he placed in a nearby trashcan.

A corrections officer went to the trashcan and found a toothbrush with a razor blade melted into its end dangling from the back of a trash can liner.

The victim was treated for lacerations on his head and hands, according to court records. Following the incident, a prison investigator reviewed the surveillance video and reported that he saw the victim walk up to the ice machine, reach in and grab the scoop when McArthur allegedly hit him with a closed fist and then began making slashing motions with his right hand at the victim’s face.

According to court records, the fight stemmed from an incident between the two inmates the day prior. The victim told detectives that McArthur threw a bar of soap from the top tier of the prison to another inmate, which nearly landed in the victim’s soup. The prisoner told correctional officers that he told McArthur he should apologize—and the next day he was assaulted at the ice machine.

Following the assault, investigators monitored McArthur’s mail when they reviewed a letter McArthur wrote to someone named “Ghost,” according to court documents.

Court records state that McArthur’s letter read: "Got me on a 18-month tour back in the hole. Had to use the blade. But I am already hearing [explicit] on that too! Here how it went down, I got at dude by the ice machine so his ice hit the floor. I start to slip from the ice, then dude catch me on the side of the head. So I had to grab his leg then Zues (sic) tackle him, which allow me to get off some more licks. So what if Zues had to help. I'm glad he did, but all I know, dude was laying there a mess when I left."

The prison investigator later determined that “Zues” was the third inmate allegedly involved in the assault, according to court records.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.