CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Knox man who reportedly caused property damage at the Clarion County Jail on two separate occasions, and then also punched another inmate waived his hearings in court on Tuesday.
Court documents indicate the following charges against 29-year-old William Ellsworth May Jr. was waived for court on Tuesday, April 21:
Charges related to incident on April 2:
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
Charges related to incident on March 21:
– Institutional Vandalism, Misdemeanor 2
– Disorderly Conduct Hazardous/Physical Offense, Misdemeanor 3
– Criminal Mischief — Damage Property, Summary
Charges related to incident on March 7:
– Institutional Vandalism, Misdemeanor 2
– Criminal Mischief — Damage Property, Summary
The charges have all been transferred to the Clarion County Court of Common Pleas.
May remains lodged in the Clarion County Jail.
The charges stem from several incidents that occurred at the Clarion County Jail earlier this year.
April 2 Incident
According to a criminal complaint, on April 7, Deputy Warden Sprankle, of the Clarion County Jail, notified Chief Detective William Peck, of CNET, that an assault had occurred in the jail between inmate William May Jr. and another inmate on April 2.
According to the complaint, Sprankle said both inmates are in a secured block on lockdown and were out of the cell for their one hour of the day. He reported a group of inmates were taken from the block and were on the hour out in the outdoor recreation area, with all of the inmates handcuffed in front and their legs shackled. The inmates were then returned to the block, and May was the first to have his restraints removed.
The complaint states that immediately after his restraints were removed, May attacked another inmate who was still restrained, and punched him in the face with a closed fist, then continued to throw punches at the inmate.
The victim suffered swelling to the right side of his face and complained of pain in his jaw area. He was then taken to Clarion Hospital for treatment.
Chief Detective Peck viewed video footage of the incident.
The video shows May clearly punching the victim in the face, blindsiding him while he wasn’t paying attention, the complaint indicates.
May was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill at 9:30 a.m.
His bail was set at $25,000.00 monetary for this incident.
March 21 Incident
According to a criminal complaint, on March 24, Deputy Warden Sprankle, of the Clarion County Jail, informed Chief Detective William Peck, of CNET, that William Ellsworth May Jr., an inmate, had damaged jail property, namely a piece of glass at the bottom of a cell.
It was reported that around 6:20 p.m. on March 21, inmates in E Block were being disruptive by kicking and screaming, and several corrections officers entered the block and issued warnings to the inmates to stop the behavior. The guards then left the block and stood outside the block door, where they overheard May inciting the other inmates to continue the behavior, according to the complaint.
May was then removed from E Block and placed in a cell in the intake area.
According to the complaint, around 7:06 p.m., May began to kick the bottom glass window of the cell, and the glass, which the complaint notes is protective glass and over a half-inch or more thick, spidered/shattered. May was then restrained in handcuffs and shackles, and his shoes were removed.
Around 10:00 p.m., he asked to have his shoes back, and he was denied. He then kicked the glass again in front of a corrections officer and refused with direct orders to stop his behavior. He was then sprayed with OC in an attempt to make him comply, the complaint indicates.
An estimate from a glass company for replacement of the damaged glass was $135.00, not including labor.
May was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill on Wednesday, April 8.
His bail was set at $25,000.00 monetary for this incident.
March 7 Incident
According to a criminal complaint, Chief Detective Peck also spoke to corrections officers about another incident in which May allegedly damaged a TV and cable box at the jail on March 7.
Chief Detective Peck was provided a correction officer’s report on the incident.
According to the complaint, May was on lockdown in his cell earlier in the day of the incident and sustained an injury to his finger while punching the door of his cell. Then, later in the day, May was let out of his cell for one hour, and he pushed the call button in the block to talk to a guard. May then allegedly made the statement “you should have gave me stitches,” before climbing up on a table in the cell block, where he grabbed the TV and cable box and threw them to the floor, causing damage to both items.
May was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Timothy P. Schill on Wednesday, April 8.
His bail was set at $25,000.00 monetary for this incident.
Other cases against May:
In addition, court documents indicate May is scheduled for a criminal conference in the district attorney’s office on May 20 on charges related to the theft of an ATV from a residence in Ashland Township.
