7 people charged with assaulting Cascade County jail inmate

Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said in a press release on Tuesday that on December 12, at around 9:17 p.m., Deputies of the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a reported assault at the Cascade County Detention Center. Deputies learned that several inmates in M-Pod assaulted inmate "John Doe."

Deputies obtained video surveillance footage of the assault on Doe. Deputies and Detention Officers reviewed the surveillance footage and ultimately identified the assailants as Esandro Rodriguez, Jesse Dubray, Guadalupe Galicia, Gerald Stillsmoking, Neil Bird, Carlyle Wells, and James Garcia.

According to Sheriff Slaughter, the video showed several inmates gather around a table in M-Pod, and then simultaneously walk toward cell M-5 where Doe was working out. As the inmates were walking toward M-5, several removed their shirts and tossed them into M-6.

Doe approached the doorway of M-5 where he and Stillsmoking had a brief conversation. Stillsmoking then hit Doe several times with a closed fist, which initiated the group attack on Doe. Doe retreated and ran to a door across the pod where detention officers would be able to see him.

While Doe was running across the pod and once Doe was at the door, Rodriguez, Dubray, Galicia, Bird, Wells, Stillsmoking and Garcia can all be seen punching, kicking, grabbing, and kneeing Doe all over his body.

Doe eventually kneeled down right next to the door and covered his head with his hands. Once detention officers saw Doe, they removed him from the pod. Surveillance footage showed that underneath where Doe had been kneeling at the door was a pool of blood.

Deputies responded to the Benefis Health System emergency department where Doe was receiving treatment for his injuries. Deputies observed several abrasions on Doe’s face and back, a swollen contusion above Doe’s right eye, and three teeth were missing from his mouth. Doe reported pain in his back and ribs.

Medical records showed that Doe had sustained fractures to three vertebrae in his spine and maxilla fractures.

Esandro Rodriguez, Jesse Dubray, Guadalupe Galicia, Gerald Stillsmoking, Neil Bird, Carlyle Wells, and James Garcia have all been charged with felony aggravated assault (accountability).