Prosecutors have charged an Indianapolis man who they say assaulted prison guards and caused nearly $5,500 in damage to the county jail.

Earl Wilson Jr., 50, is charged with two counts of assault and battery causing bodily harm to a public safety officer and one count of assault and battery against a public safety officer performing official duties, all felonies and two counts of criminal mischief causing damages between $750 and $150,000, a misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces up to 16.5 years in prison.

A prison staff member reported in early October that Wilson threatened and harassed her through the prison intercom system, saying he repeatedly asked her if her records from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles of the prison ‘Indiana matched his home address records. The jail officer reported this to deputies and asked to press charges, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson 3 County Superior Court.

Deputies spoke to Wilson soon after. When they asked him and his cellmate, who was using the intercom system, Wilson became aggressive and shouted profanities at deputies and Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, who was not in jail at the time, according to court documents.

Deputies told Wilson not to use the intercom to harass staff and left to speak with another inmate in the same cell block. Wilson continued to shout profanity at deputies and other prison staff during this time, and later used the intercom to yell at prison staff. They couldn’t understand what he was saying and said he was “just shouting loudly into the microphone”, according to court documents.

A deputy spoke with a jail warden about the incident and was told that Wilson had already received multiple penalties for disruptive behavior at the county jail. Shortly after, the decision was made to place Wilson in a padded cell without access to an intercom. He would still be monitored by video, according to court documents.

When deputies went to remove Wilson from his cell, they asked him to stick his hands through the food port in the door to be handcuffed. He refused and shouted profanity at them. During the handcuffing, a prison officer’s hand got caught between the handcuffs and Wilson through the food port. Wilson eventually moved out so the prison officer could reach out to him. Jail staff opened the door and attempted to secure him to carry him to another cell, but Wilson was combative and moved away from the staff, during which time a prison officer’s hand fell away. again trapped between handcuffs and Wilson. Wilson refused to let go of the jail officer’s hand, and only did so after multiple commands, according to court documents.

Prison officers moved Wilson to his new cell. He tried to kick at several doors so that they hit the prison officers escorting him, according to court documents.

Once Wilson arrived at the padded cell, he first complied with the prison officer’s instructions so that he could be secured in the cell. However, he refused to lie on his stomach so that his restraints could be removed, and deputies had to place him on the ground. He then attempted to fight prison officers as they attempted to remove his shackles, according to court documents.

Wilson threatened prison guards and deputies deployed a WRAP system, which is used to restrain combative inmates. While he was safe, he threatened a prison staff member, saying he would send someone to her house. Jail officers informed Wilson that he was threatening law enforcement, to which he replied, “Oh, that’s not a threat, that’s a promise,” according to court documents.

After Wilson was secured, the injured prison officer was examined for injuries, as his hand showed signs of swelling and broken skin. Meanwhile, Wilson continued to be combative. He kicked the prison guard several times in the arm and called him blasphemy. The prison officer went for treatment shortly after Wilson was brought to safety in the cell, and doctors gave him medication and asked him to watch the swelling, according to court documents.

As the prison officer sought medical treatment, he was informed that Wilson had attacked other prison officers in two separate incidents, according to court documents.

Inside his padded cell, Wilson had dug into the walls and floor, causing property damage. He also used a polystyrene food container to cover the cell’s camera and ripped several pieces off a wall, knocking the camera offline. When deputies went inside to fix the camera and place Wilson under restraint, he assaulted two deputies by punching one in the face and biting the other’s finger, causing bleeding. He also shouted profanity at deputies before being moved to another padded cell, according to court documents.

In a second incident, he again attempted to cover a camera with polystyrene, before ripping a metal plate from the wall of his cell and throwing it several times at the camera and the window, ultimately took the camera offline. He was then taken to the prison’s isolation pool, according to court documents.

Wilson caused nearly $5,500 in cell damage, most of which was damage to upholstered walls. The cameras did not need any repairs, according to court documents.

Wilson remains in Johnson County Jail, where he is being held without bond.