A man who threw urine on jail staff two different times in the same day appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.
Thirty-one-year-old Michael Newman entered a guilty plea to charges against him and was given four years in prison to be served concurrently with time he is spending on an earlier conviction.
He is currently an inmate in the Ouachita River Unit of the state prison system.
The incidents involving Newman while an inmate in the Baxter County Detention Center took place July 26, 2019.
The first occurred at around 8:50 a.m. when a female deputy walked past Newman’s cell and he reached through the “food port” or “bean hole” and threw liquid on the deputy from a Styrofoam cup.
The deputy initially thought Newman had thrown water, but it was determined to have been urine.
Just a few hours later, deputies attempted to put Newman in a restraint chair for his safety as well as that of the jail staff.
Newman had been slamming his body against the cell door and kicking at the door, according to the probable cause affidavit.
When three deputies entered the cell to get Newman under control, he threw a cup of urine on them.
The urine was reported to have covered one deputy’s face.
Newman was then alleged to have started fighting the deputies who had to use a stun gun on him twice so they could establish control over the unruly inmate.
At first, Newman shouted threats to kill the deputies, then changed his mind and said he would “kill your kids and family” instead.
The deputies hit by the urine were taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center to be examined.
The first criminal case filed against Newman dates from 2008. He has caused problems in the jail before according to court records – including swallowing a razorblade and cutting himself with one.
During a court session in early 2020, Circuit Judge John Putman had started the process of taking a plea from Newman on the charges stemming from his actions in the jail.
He faced four counts of aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer or employee of a correctional facility, four counts of terroristic threatening and two counts of impairing the operation of a vital public facility.
As the plea taking process continued, Deputy Prosecutor Kerry Chism recited the facts behind the charges against Newman.
Judge Putman asked Newman if he was guilty of the acts laid out in the probable cause affidavit.
Newman balked. In a profanity-laced rant, he said the statements were untrue. He said he didn’t fight or threaten anyone.
He did admit to throwing urine on jail staff.
Judge Putman halted the plea taking and told Newman it could not continue if he professed innocence.
Newman, who was slouched over the podium, said, despite his claims of innocence, he wanted to plead guilty because “there is no chance for somebody like me.”
After that appearance, court records show Newman underwent examinations to determine if he was fit to proceed in his case, and able to be held criminally responsible for his acts.
It is assume he was found fit since his case continued.
At the time the defense asked for the examinations, all activity in the case stopped.
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