Man Admits Assaulting Inmate in Natrona County Detention Center
A man who was incarcerated in the Natrona County Detention Center when prosecutors say he assaulted another man appeared in court and entered a guilty plea on Thursday.
Warren Dean Andreen, 24, pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated assault and battery. The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
In exchange for the plea, Andreen is to receive a suspended prison sentence of three to five years and three years of supervised probation. In addition, a separate criminal case against Andreen will be dismissed.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, the assault occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on Aug. 22. Surveillance video reportedly showed that Andreen was walking down a staircase in the jail in front of Anthony Mock when Andreen spun around and punched Mock in the face.
Mock later told an investigator that after he was hit, he heard another inmate yell, "Don't stop now, keep going." Andreen then charged at Mock, and the fight continued for just over one minute before both men went back to their cells.
Mock said that he feared for his life and defended himself. He told the investigator that he didn't know Andreen, and had only spoken to him on one occasion previously.
According to the affidavit, Mock suffered a fractured left orbital socket and required surgery as a result of the assault.
When asked Thursday by District Court Judge Catherine Wilking about his motivation for punching Mock, Andreen replied, "Because I didn't like him."
"I decided I was going to cave his face in," Andreen added. He told Wilking the assault was unprovoked, "for the most part."
Following a request from public defender Dylan Rosalez for a reduced bond, Wilking agreed to modify Andreen's bond to $2,000 cash or surety.
Andreen will be sentenced once a presentence investigation has been completed. Wilking could still reject the plea deal and order the case returned to a trial stack; should that occur, Andreen would be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.