A man jailed at the Campbell County Detention Center in Gillette threw human feces and urine at a detention officer so he could get a felony assault charge and go back to prison, authorities say.
He apparently got his wish.
The Campbell County Attorney’s Office has charged Garrett W. Bentley, 38, with one count of aggravated assault on a detention officer, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Bentley’s case ascended Tuesday to the felony-level Campbell County District Court.
It started at about 1 p.m. July 23 when Campbell County Detention Officer Carl Dick Jr. went into the A Block, A Pod cell No. 3 to retrieve cleaning supplies from Bentley, according to an evidentiary affidavit by Campbell County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron English.
Dick could smell human feces and urine as he approached the cell.
Apprehensive because he knew that Bentley had thrown bodily fluids at a detention officer in the past, Dick backed away from the cell door.
Bentley put the cleaning supplies on the food pass in the cell door.
Dick retrieved the supplies and started backing away from the door again when Bentley threw a cup full of poop and urine at him, the affidavit claims. The feces and urine splattered onto Dick’s right leg, covering him from hip to knee, and coating his right arm from his elbow to his wrist.
Back To Prison, Please
English reviewed the video of the incident and confirmed the series of events.
After the feces toss, English wrote that he could see human feces sitting on the food pass.
“I walked to the cell door and observed Bentley to have feces smeared all over his face,” English wrote. “I asked Bentley what was going on.”
Bentley said he threw poop and urine mixed with water at the jail deputy so he could get a felony charge and go back to prison.
So English read Bentley his Miranda warnings and continued the interview.
Bentley said he would continue to assault deputies until he got a felony charge and was sent back to prison, the affidavit says.
English said he would do just that, so Bentley could stop assaulting deputies.
“Bentley (said) he would stop assaulting deputies,” English wrote.
“Bentley has made other verbal threats toward detention officers and threatened to shoot and murder (Sgt.) Clarence Berry,” the document continues. “Bentley told another officer he could throw her off the balcony if he wanted to.”
Why He’s In Jail In The First Place
Bentley is in jail for multiple instances of alleged breach of peace, a misdemeanor, according to his court file.
At about 8:37 a.m. June 1, Bentley approached Campbell County Health’s medical supply store while yelling obscenities and stripping his clothes off, says the affidavit from that case.
The hospital had Bentley trespassed from the property.
Bentley said he’d quit that course of action, and he put his clothes back on. Police charged him with breach of peace.
But an hour later, the affidavit says Bentley was reportedly spotted outside a Salvation Army office in Gillette with no clothes on.
When police arrived, Bentley had pants and underwear on, however.
The affidavit says Salvation Army staff were concerned and didn’t want Bentley around the area for that day, but they didn’t elaborate because they didn’t want to get Bentley in trouble.
Police asked if he was under the influence of any drugs, but Bentley said he wasn’t and, other than his stripping and yelling, there were no signs he was intoxicated. They didn’t charge him for this incident.
Hospital Has Mercy
By 10:39 a.m., Bentley was approaching vehicles on the road.
A woman at first thought he was “preaching,” the affidavit says, but when she rolled her window down she thought she heard Bentley yelling curse words and threatening to fight people.
When police arrived this time, Bentley said he’d only been talking to a man at a normal level. He said he was trying to get to Cheyenne.
Police charged him with another count of breach of peace.
Bentley stood on a road on-ramp in his underwear just two hours later, the affidavit continues.
He said he was trying to get police attention because he needed their help. He believed he had bipolar disorder but hadn’t been medicated in some time.
Ambulance personnel arrived and took Bentley to Campbell County Health for treatment – just hours after Bentley had been trespassed from there.
The hospital said it would treat him anyway.
Except …
By 1 p.m. officers contacted Bentley on the hospital’s sidewalk after hearing he’d caused a disturbance in the hospital.
Hospital security gave police video of an incident where Bentley yelled at hospital staff after they brought him the food and water he’d asked for.
Bentley told staff he hates “American women” because they think he is ugly. He flipped off and shouted at a juvenile female, then shouted obscenities at another female, the affidavit says. Bentley yelled profanities targeting women specifically.
Police issued three citations for breach of peace for this.
Michael Brastrup, the Gillette Police Department officer who wrote the June affidavit, wrote that he believed Bentley was homeless and was engaging in certain behavior so he’d be arrested and have a place to stay.
Bentley “made it clear throughout my several conversations with him he is a misogynist and hates women,” the affidavit says.
Citing safety concerns for the numerous women Bentley allegedly yelled at and approached that day, police arrested him.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
