Jail inmate reportedly sprayed jailers with their own pepper spray
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — A man in the Bonneville County Jail allegedly sprayed two jailers with pepper spray during a struggle earlier this month.
A fight involved inmate Jeffrey Knighton and several Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies occurred at about 8 a.m. on March 7. During the fight, the deputies were trying to hold Knighton to the ground.
One of Knighton’s arms was reportedly tucked under his body, prompting one deputy to try and pull the arm out and gain control of the situation. As the struggle continued, Knighton allegedly tried to grab the deputy’s oleoresin capsicum — more commonly known as pepper spray — from his belt.
Eventually, the pepper spray canister fell out of the holster and onto the floor. One of the deputies and Knighton went to reach for the canister, but the combatant inmate got to it first, according to court documents.
The deputy kept trying to hold Knighton’s arm down, but the man was able to turn his hand and spray two jail workers. One deputy was sprayed in the face and the other on his side.
Investigators were called in to investigate the incident last week. When speaking with Knighton, he described having a mental crisis and having voices telling him to escape from jail.
Knighton was charged with two felony counts of assault and battery upon deputies. If convicted on both counts, Knighton could be ordered to spend up to 10-years in prison.
Although Knighton is accused of crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
It was not immediately clear what charge or warrant initially landed Knighton in jail.