Wilson
Prosecutors charged an Indianapolis man they say assaulted jail officers and caused nearly $5,500 worth of damage to the county jail.
Earl Wilson Jr., 50, is charged with two counts of battery causing bodily injury to a public safety official and a count of battery against a public safety official engaged in official duty, all felonies, and two counts of criminal mischief causing damage between $750 and $150,000, a misdemeanor. If convicted, he could face up to 16.5 years in prison.
A member of the jail staff reported in early October that Wilson had been threatening and harassing her through the jail’s intercom system, saying he had repeatedly asked her if her Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles records matched her home address records. The jail officer reported this to deputies and asked to press charges, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson County Superior Court 3.
Deputies talked to Wilson shortly after. When they asked him and his cellmate who had been using the intercom system, Wilson became aggressive and shouted profanities at the deputies and Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, who was not at the jail at the time, according to court documents.
Deputies told Wilson to not use the intercom to harass staff, and left to speak with another inmate in the same cell block. Wilson continued to yell profanities at the deputies and other jail staff during this time, and later used the intercom to yell at jail staff. They were unable to understand what he was saying, and said he was “just yelling into the microphone loudly,” court documents show.
A deputy spoke with a jail supervisor about the incident and was informed Wilson had already received multiple sanctions for disruptive behavior at the county jail. Shortly after, a decision was made to put Wilson in a padded cell without access to an intercom. He would still be monitored via video, according to court documents.
When deputies went to remove Wilson from his cell, they asked him to place his hands through the door’s food port to get handcuffed. He refused and yelled profanities at them. During the handcuffing, a jail officer’s hand got caught between the handcuffs and Wilson through the food port. Wilson eventually moved so the jail officer could get his hand out. Jail staff opened the door and tried to secure him for transport to another cell, but Wilson was combative and jerked away from staff, during which a jail officer’s hand got caught again between the handcuffs and Wilson. Wilson refused to let the jail officer’s hand go, and only did so after multiple commands, court documents show.
Jail officers moved Wilson to his new cell. He tried to kick multiple doors so they would hit the jail officers who were escorting him, according to court documents.
Once Wilson made it to the padded cell, he initially complied with the jail officer’s instructions so he could be secured in the cell. However, he refused to lie down on his stomach so his restraints could be removed, and deputies had to place him on the ground. He then attempted to fight jail officers as they tried to remove his restraints, court documents show.
Wilson threatened the jail officers, and deputies deployed a WRAP system, which is used to restrain combative inmates. While he was being secured, he threatened a member of the jail staff, saying he would send someone to her house. Jail officers informed Wilson that he was making threats against law enforcement, to which he replied, “Oh it’s not a threat, that’s a promise,” according to court documents.
After Wilson was secured, the injured jail officer was checked for injuries, as his hand showed signs of swelling and broken skin. During that time, Wilson continued to be combative. He kicked the jail officer multiple times in the arm and called him profanities. The jail officer went for medical treatment shortly after Wilson was secured in the cell, and doctors gave him medication and asked him to monitor the swelling, court documents show.
While the jail officer was seeking medical treatment, he was informed Wilson had attacked other jail officers during two separate incidents, according to court documents.
Inside his padded cell, Wilson had carved into the walls and floor, causing property damage. He also used a styrofoam food container to cover the cell’s camera, and tore multiple chunks out of a wall, knocking the camera offline. When deputies went inside to fix the camera and place Wilson in restraints, he assaulted two deputies by punching one in the face and biting the other’s finger, causing bleeding. He also yelled profanities at the deputies before he was moved to another padded cell, court documents show.
During a second incident, he tried to cover a camera with styrofoam again, before ripping a metal plate off the wall of his cell and throwing it at the camera and window multiple times, eventually knocking the camera offline again. He was then taken to the jail’s isolation tank, according to court documents.
Wilson caused nearly $5,500 in damage to the cells, most of which was damage to the padded walls. The cameras did not need any repairs, court documents show.
Wilson remains at the Johnson County jail, where he is held without bond.
