A Warren County Jail inmate faces felony charges after he sprayed another inmate in the eyes with Comet cleaner.
The inmate, Scotty Wayne Neisz, 40, is charged with aggravated assault, a crime that carries three to six years. He will face hearing on the felony Jan. 13. He remains held at Warren County Jail on both his new charges and the charges for which he was being held when the assault happened.
According to Sheriff’s Capt. Bo Ramsey, the assault was perpetrated on fellow inmate Jesse Epps.
“He carried a shampoo bottle filled with a colored liquid and approached Mr. Epps’ cell,” Ramsey revealed in his warrant. “He then sprayed Mr. Epps in the face with a liquid containing Comet cleaner.”
Correctional officers were able to get the bottle away from Neisz.
“It still had some of the liquid in it,” Ramsey said, noting Epps told jailers some of the liquid got into his eyes. He did not suffer serious injury, although the concoction could have injured his eyes had there been a direct blast from the container. It is not known why Neisz tried to injure Epps.
At the time of the assault, Neisz was awaiting trial for stealing two vehicles this summer and leading lawmen on a high-speed chase. He and a female friend were arrested after they stole a Warren County Utility District truck, trailer and backhoe from a church parking lot on Bluff Springs Road. Lawmen fell in behind the stolen vehicle and the pair abandoned it off Smithville Highway. They then stole another vehicle, a smaller one this time, and led officers on a high-speed chase through the northern portion of the county.
Neisz, who was driving, went off road trying to lose pursuing officers and ended up flattening two fences before coming to a stop in a wooded area. The two again got out and ran but they were collared this time by authorities.
Among the stolen items was the WCUD truck and backhoe valued at $175,000.