Inmate facing battery charges

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County Jail inmate has accumulated felony battery charges for attacks on two fellow inmates that left them hospitalized.

Michael Rudolph Gillock is accused of attacking the two inmates in an indoor recreation area during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on Nov. 9, court records indicate.

The motive for the alleged attacks is unclear as neither Gillock nor the two alleged victims wished to speak to deputies investigating the incident, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Surveillance camera footage, however, shed light on the incident.

The footage shows Gillock confronting a 30-year-old inmate as soon as the man sets foot in the rec room, the affidavit states. The 30-year-old inmate tries to flee and a 47-year-old inmate rises and positions himself between the two men, but then sits back down.

Gillock, 33, goes to walk away, but ends up raining blows on the 47-year-old’s torso, face and head, according to the affidavit. Gillock then turns his attention back to the 30-year-old inmate, striking him in the face and head. Gillock, the affidavit alleges, continued to punch the man’s head after he fell to the floor. Gillock is further accused of pile driving the 30-year-old’s head with his knee from a standing position, which left the inmate motionless.

The 30- and 47-year-old inmates were taken to Kootenai Health. The 30-year-old inmate had a closed skull injury, a hematoma and a concussion. The 47-year-old suffered a broken jaw, according to court documents.

The battery charges were elevated to the felony level because Gillock inflicted great bodily harm and/or disfigurement, according to the criminal complaint.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.

Gillock was awaiting sentencing on a methamphetamine possession charge at the time of the alleged attacks, court records show. He is scheduled to be sentenced in 1st District Court on Feb. 11, 2019.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.