An incident at Hancock County Jail has led to an inmate facing charges for allegedly manufacturing weapons within the facility. Keith Martinear, 35, has been charged with one count of intimidation and two counts of an inmate possessing a dangerous device, FOX59 reports.
The episode unfolded on the evening of June 18 when, at around 5:44 p.m., an officer monitoring the surveillance footage observed Martinear in his cell, cell number 5, engaged in suspicious activity. Martinear appeared to be intently wrapping an unknown object in white material and proceeded to carefully sharpen it on the metal drain of the floor. His actions quickly escalated into a confrontation when corrections staff, having interpreted his movements as an attempt to fashion a shank, instructed Martinear to surrender the item. According to documentation provided by the court, Martinear reacted by dousing himself with water, grabbing his mattress to use as a makeshift barricade, and refusing to comply with officers' commands.
With the situation deteriorating, officers prepared to take escalated measures when Martinear reportedly failed to heed directives. The confrontation reached a peak as officers noticed that Martinear was now brandishing not one, but two improvised weapons. As detailed by CBS4Indy, tasers were deployed in an attempt to subdue him. While initially ineffective, the tasers eventually caused Martinear to lose his grip on the weapons.
In the ensuing struggle, officers managed to remove the mattress from Martinear's possession and further utilize a taser, which successfully struck him in the left thigh. Subsequent to the application of the taser and the removal of the devices, Martinear's defiance extended to spitting on and issuing threats towards the jail staff. These actions led to him being confined to a padded cell for the duration of the incident.
The charges against Martinear fall in line with Hancock County Jail's strict policies against inmates creating and possessing dangerous devices. The jail has not released additional information regarding any disciplinary actions that will be taken in response to Martinear's behavior or how his actions will affect his current standing within the penal system.
