The body of Thomas Haskins was a day away from being cremated – and his closest kin didn’t even know he was dead.FORT WAYNE – A Fort Wayne man was charged Thursday with battering a confinement officer at the Allen County Jail.
Jeremy Pinkston, 21, faces two felony charges of battery. He’s accused of punching Allen County Jail confinement officer Rick Tindall repeatedly in the face, breaking his nose Nov. 21.
Pinkston was booked into the jail the day before on a false informing charge.
According to court documents, Tindall was trying to place Pinkston in a cell about 1 p.m. when Pinkston turned toward him and punched him in the face several times. Tindall’s vision became blurry and he could not see out of the sides of his eyes, records said.
Tindall began to defend himself by returning punches toward Pinkston and cornered him into a wall outside the cell. He then used a radio to call for assistance, court papers said.
Several officers responded to Tindall’s call for help and found Pinkston with his fists clenched and breathing heavily. One officer secured Pinkston in the cell while others assisted Tindall, who appeared to have blood “streaming” from his nose, the documents said.
Tindall was taken to Parkview Occupational Health for treatment and was later told that his nose had been broken in several places. He was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist and was told that he would need surgery to repair the damage, court documents said.
Tindall also said that he did not have much peripheral vision in his right eye and was not sure his vision would return, court records said.
Pinkston, of the 400 block of Suttenfield Avenue, is being held in lieu of $15,750 bail.
