COLUMBUS, Ind. -- An inmate at the Bartholomew County Jail kicked out a portion of his cell door and used the metal rods as throwing weapons, injuring three staff members before he was eventually Tased.
On Saturday, Jail Captain Nicole Kinman responded to a report that an inmate had kicked out a section of his cell door. As jail staff were dealing with that inmate, other inmate, Jordan Rhoades, allegedly kicked out a portion of his cell door, tore apart the bottom and threw the metal rods at jail staff.
Kinman suffered injuries to her abdomen and lower left leg. Sergeant Tim Burdine and Sgt. Kyle Weaver also received minor injuries during the incident.
Jordan Rhoades
Rhoades is the same inmate who made headlines for throwing chairs at Bartholomew County Judge Kathleen Tighe Coriden in February after she sentenced him to a year in jail for a probation violation.
One of those chairs hit Bartholomew County Prosecutor Jeremy Fisk in the leg, according to RTV6’s newsgathering partner WIBC.
Rhoades agreed to plead guilty in July to battery resulting in injury to a public safety officer. A sentencing hearing on that charge is set for Sept. 20. Rhoades faces up to six years in prison.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matthew Myers said incidents like this have become more frequent since the Indiana Legislature mandated that level 6 offenders be kept in county jails, rather than the state prison sentence.
Myers said that in 2015, the Bartholomew County Jail had no level 6 prisoners. Last year, he said, in addition to the jail’s regular population it housed 76 level 6 inmates.
“Currently, we do not have the operational space nor the staff to take on this influx” Myers said.
Myers also blamed the overcrowding in part on a flooding incident that happened over the weekend. He said inmates blocked the bottom of their cell doors and allowed showers and toilets to overflow.
When the water was released, it flooded several levels of the facility.
Myers said he is trying to bring Bartholomew County Commissioners’ attention to the issue.
“Overcrowding, although beyond our control, has increased tensions,” he said. “The jail has been damaged and my staff has been hurt.”
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