An inmate passed gas, a cellmate complained — and then there was a stomping, police say
He who smelt it got dealt with.
A Florida Keys inmate sent his cellmate to the hospital Monday night for complaining about him stinking up the cell by first passing gas and then using the toilet, police said.
Gilford Joseph Abshire, 53, listed as homeless in Key West, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated battery by a person detained in jail.
Abshire left his cellmate at the Stock Island Detention Center with three broken ribs and a broken nose, according to the arrest report.
Abshire said his cellmate attacked him for causing a stink in the toilet and he merely defended himself. Police noted his bruised knuckles.
A deputy said he witnessed Abshire stomping on the chest of Roger Wonsetler, 62, of Sugarloaf Key.
Wonsetler told police he got upset after Abshire passed gas in the cell and then, at 7:30 p.m., making the situation worse by using the toilet.
“Roger said the smell was overwhelming and that he asked Abshire to give him a ‘courtesy flush,’,” wrote Deputy Brandon White.
That’s when Abshire kicked Wonsetler, who was on the bottom bunk at the time, and then picked him up by the throat and threw him across the cell, police reported.
Abshire kicked Wonsetler in the face and torso until deputies intervened, police said.
Abshire was in jail for a misdemeanor battery arrest on April 3 that left him with a $5,000 bond. He is now being held without bond.
Wonsestler is in jail on a probation violation and is being held without bond. He was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center for treatment.
Inmates share small rooms at the jail that contain a single, exposed toilet that lacks privacy.
“The men are no longer cellmates,” said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 12:47 PM.
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