Jeremy Tyler Ferrell
HANCOCK COUNTY — An Indianapolis man who was in the county jail for a misdemeanor charge is now facing up to 16 years in prison following an incident at the county jail where another inmate was injured following a fight.
Jeremy Tyler Ferrell, 40, 20 block of North Drexel Avenue, has been charged with a Level 3 felony count of aggravated battery that results in loss or impairment of a bodily function and a Level 3 felony count of aggravated battery when assault causes serious permanent disfigurement.
Level 3 felony charges carry up to 16 years in prison with an advisory sentence of 9 years.
The new case against Ferrell was officially opened in Hancock County Superior Court 1 on Friday, Sept. 30. Court documents show Ferrell was set to make his initial appearance on the new charges Wednesday, Oct. 5.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officials with the county jail noted they were made aware of a physical altercation between two of three inmates who were housed in the H-Pod cell on Aug. 24, containing inmates Kirk Dale Lonas, James Sachs and Ferrell.
Lonas, 58, officials noted in the report, was taken to the hospital for an apparent right eye injury after an altercation between Lonas and Ferrell. According to the report, jail officials responded to an emergency call in the cell and found Lonas injured. Upon examination by jail officials, he was taken to the hospital for further care, officials said in the report.
Officials said Lonas was then transferred to St. Vincent Hospital on Aug. 26 due to the severity of his eye injury. Doctors at St. Vincent Hospital advised Lonas had lost all vision in his right eye and was possibly going to lose the entire eye. Doctors were successful in surgically putting his right eye back together in the socket, the report said. However, the damage was so severe he will not be able to see again out of the eye.
According to Lonas, who is in jail facing Level 1 and Level 4 felony child molestation charges, the report said, Lonas had been in the same Pod cell with Ferrell. The report stated that Lonas and Ferrell had gotten into an issue over a snack and Ferrell kicked Lonas’ tote under a bunk. When Lonas went to call officials to report Ferrell, Ferrell then struck Lonas.
The report stated that Sachs told officials, once Ferrell realized Lonas was calling staff, Ferrell punched Lonas with his left hand. Sachs was not sure if Ferrell had a weapon or not, but does know that he “socked Lonas pretty good,” the report stated.
Jail officials noted the video footage of the Pod cell was unable to determine exactly what happened inside the cell.
Records on Ferrell show he was originally in jail for a criminal mischief charge opened in July but also has a 2019 case where a plea agreement was reached on domestic battery and criminal mischief charges. Sachs, court records show, is in jail for a Level 5 felony count of failure to register as a sex or violent offender.
