By Kayla Regan
The Hutchinson News
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Allegedly throwing “urine water” on a jail deputy resulted in a Reno County jail inmate being bound over on battery charges in court Wednesday afternoon.
Reno County Deputy Jeremy Stone testified he and Daniel Nuest were dispensing medication to inmates at approximately 6:30 p.m., July 18, 2013.
Stone said in court Wednesday that when they approached Jeremy Johnson Jr., he told Nuest he needed a clean cup. When Nuest returned with the cup, Stone testified, Johnson threw liquid inside a cup in his cell on Nuest in an angered state.
Throughout the preliminary hearing, the liquid was referred to as either “urine water” or “toilet water.”
At that point, he said several officers helped in escorting Johnson to a single cell. One of the deputies had a Taser pointed at Johnson, which seemed to anger him more, Stone testified.
Deputy Joe Roman worked that evening as the booking deputy because, as he testified Wednesday, officers on a previous shift warned him that Johnson said he was going throw urine at him. Roman, however, was called from his booking duties to assist with Johnson, who was resisting officers and described as irate.
Johnson attempted to throw the urine water on Roman when he arrived to help, however Roman said Johnson missed. Stone said Johnson yelled he was going to “rape and kill” Roman’s wife. Deputy Josh Scott testified that Johnson told officers that he wanted to hit Roman with the urine water, but Nuest was collateral damage in the attempt.
Upon securing Johnson in another jail cell, Scott said the defendant pulled back his handcuffs, which sliced open Scott’s left index finger.
Reno County District Court Judge Joseph McCarville bound Johnson over on two battery of a law enforcement charges, attempted battery of a law enforcement officer and criminal threat.
Johnson was found competent following an evaluation earlier in May, however in court the defendant’s attorney Kelly Driscoll objected to the finding. As part of her objection, she did not question any witnesses under cross examination.
“My client cannot think rationally and so I don’t have any other questions.”
“I’m not required to cross examine a witness,” she told McCarville.
Johnson has several other pending cases in Reno County, including another 2013 battery on a law enforcement case and a possession of stolen property case. In 2007 in Reno County, he was convicted of fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, drug and paraphernalia possession and theft.