A Marion County Jail inmate is facing a felony charge after investigators say he brutally beat another inmate and bit off part of the man’s ear. Deputies reportedly discovered the injured man during a routine headcount, with bruising around his eyes and a portion of his right ear missing.
The alleged attack happened last Wednesday inside the Indianapolis jail, according to WTHR, which reviewed court documents. Brian Winston allegedly entered the victim’s cell wearing issued red uniform pants and later left wearing only white boxers.
The records say the victim had multiple bruises around both eyes and was seen leaving the cell with a white T-shirt over his head. His right ear was described as cut and bleeding, with part of it missing, and he was removed from the housing unit for additional medical treatment.
Investigators later found towels, blood-stained pieces of tissue paper and other trash near the cell. A phone call made after the alleged assault reportedly captured Winston saying he had severely beaten the victim, tasted blood and felt the ear come off; WTHR quoted him as saying, “I just bit his ear off.”
Winston Faces Level 5 Felony Charge
Winston was charged with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, according to online court records. Under Indiana’s battery statute, an alleged battery that causes serious bodily injury can be elevated to that felony level.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit reviewed the incident after deputies reported finding the injured inmate. Winston is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, and the available records do not establish what prompted the alleged attack.
