A-Plant Guard Found Beaten, Unconscious

A security guard was found unconscious, beaten and without her gun at a nuclear power plant early Wednesday, officials said.

TU Electric officials said neither its Comanche Peak plant nor the public was ever in danger, although the lowest of four categories of nuclear plant emergencies--an “unusual event”--was declared for about four hours.

The guard, identified only as a 31-year-old employee of Burns Security, later regained consciousness and was being treated at a hospital for emotional shock, said Jerry Lee, a utility spokesman.

Lee described the attack as “a serious incident, but not to the plant.” He declined to elaborate on the guard’s injuries and said that “the nature of the crime and the circumstances lead us to respect her privacy.”

The guard was found in the Unit 1 turbine building, a non-nuclear area, utility officials said. Her gun also was later found nearby.

Employees at the plant in Glen Rose, 65 miles southwest of Dallas, were being interviewed by utility officials and the Sheriff’s Department.

“All those working in the protected area are suspects,” Lee said. “Access is very controlled. I don’t know of any instances like this at a nuclear power plant.”