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Rhode Island prison guard whose truck hit protesters had worked in Connecticut

In this still image from video provided by WLNE-TV in Rhode Island, protesters blocking an entrance to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility begin to move as a pickup truck approaches last Wednesday night in Central Falls, R.I. The group, which was protesting federal immigration policies, said at least two people were injured. (WLNE-TV via AP)
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In this still image from video provided by WLNE-TV in Rhode Island, protesters blocking an entrance to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility begin to move as a pickup truck approaches last Wednesday night in Central Falls, R.I. The group, which was protesting federal immigration policies, said at least two people were injured. (WLNE-TV via AP)
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A Rhode Island prison guard who resigned Friday after his truck hit protesters outside the prison had previously worked in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Correction.

Captain Thomas M. Woodworth had come under intense scrutiny after videos showed that he drove his truck into protesters outside the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, where he worked. The prison announced that he had resigned after the incident.

According to Karen Martucci, spokeswoman for the Connecticut correction agency, Woodworth was hired by the Connecticut Department of Correction in 1989 and “retired in good standing” in 2009 as a lieutenant.

The incident occurred Wednesday as protesters had blocked an entrance to Wyatt because federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are being held at the prison. The videos showed protesters repeatedly screaming and shouting, “The whole world is watching.”

“Captain Thomas Woodworth resigned from his position at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility on Friday, August 16, 2019,” said a statement issued by prison officials. “The incident which occurred on August 14 remains under active investigation by the Rhode Island State Police and under internal investigation by the Wyatt.”

Rhode Island state police have described the incident as an “active investigation,” but no arrests have been announced.

Woodworth, 53, lives in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, near the Rhode Island border.

The protest outside the prison had been organized by Never Again Action, a Jewish activist group that is concerned about the ICE detainees.

In a statement to The Providence Journal, Amy Anthony of Never Again Action, said, “We are glad to hear that Captain Woodworth has resigned. We hope that will not be the end of an effort to hold him accountable for attempting to run over multiple Jewish youth and elders peacefully protesting.”

She added, “However, Woodworth’s resignation is just the beginning. First, he should face criminal charges for his actions which endangered the lives of protesters on Wednesday night. The other officers who indiscriminately pepper-sprayed a distraught and traumatized crowd must face accountability for the violence they enacted, which sent three more people to the hospital.”

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.