A former inmate at Two Bridges Regional Jail has been sentenced to two years in prison for striking a fellow inmate with a cafeteria tray.
Ernest M. Patti, 33, pleaded guilty to class B aggravated assault March 14, according to court documents. Court documents list addresses for Patti in Brunswick, Portland, and Woolwich.
Patti told the investigating officer he assaulted the other inmate because he believed he was a sex offender, according to court documents.
According to an affidavit by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Rubashkin, surveillance footage showed Patti approach the other inmate from behind, “swing the meal tray like a baseball bat,” and strike him on Dec. 20, 2015.
The other inmate stumbled over some chairs and fell to the floor, according to the affidavit. He could not stand up and was transported to a hospital. He later told Rubashkin he believed he lost consciousness for about a minute.
Patti is in custody at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, according to the Maine Department of Corrections. He is serving the sentence concurrently with a two-year probation revocation. He was on probation for a burglary in Sagadahoc County at the time of the assault.