Davison County inmate charged in attack on jailer

An inmate at the Davison County Jail has been charged for allegedly attacking a jailer on Jan. 1.

Jeremiah Hart, 23, of Huron, has been indicted on two alternate counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, which is a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Hart remains in custody with his bond set at $25,000 cash.

The charges stem from a Jan. 1 incident in which Hart allegedly attacked James Dietz, a part-time corrections officer at the jail.

Davison County Jail Administrator Don Radel said Dietz caught two inmates “fishing,” or passing objects between cells.

Dietz entered an open cell door to take the material used to pass the items back and forth when Hart reportedly attacked him, repeatedly striking Dietz in the face and knocking him unconscious.

The attack continued outside the cell until another jailer threatened to use a Taser on Hart, putting an end to the alleged assault.

Dietz suffered a broken jaw, right cheekbone and orbital bone, as well as a split lower lip. He was hospitalized and underwent facial surgery as a result of the attack, but has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home in Mitchell.

Hart has been in jail since being arrested last September for first-degree robbery for allegedly assaulting a woman in August and stealing her purse as she got in her vehicle in a parking lot east of Avera Queen of Peace Hospital. He also faces charges of reckless burning and intentional property damage for his alleged involvement in a car fire Sept. 9 near the 900 block of West Second Avenue.

Hart has already pleaded not guilty to those charges. His trial on those charges is scheduled for May.

A court date has not yet been set for Hart on the new charges.

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