An inmate at the Cook County Jail is facing charges after punching a female correctional lieutenant in the face as officers attempted to retrieve a laptop found in his possession, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s office. Jimmie Smith, 41, was charged with aggravated battery stemming from an incident on Dec. 5, the sheriff’s office said in a release Saturday. Officers were attempting to take a contraband laptop from Smith when he punched the officer, authorities said, releasing surveillance video of the attack. Smith, who is being held without bond on several charges including attempted murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, was given access to the laptop to prepare for his defense, officials said, as he was representing himself in an upcoming trial.
Authorities are now investigating how he was able to keep the computer in his possession. Smith had been using the laptop to record a talk show he called “My Back’s Against the Wall,” according to the sheriff’s office. The laptop, which was damaged in the incident, also contained lewd pictures of Smith in various settings within the jail. Smith has been in custody for more than seven years, officials said, during which he has been charged with several other crimes related to an alleged attack on his public defender in 2014, as well as expressing interest in killing the prosecutor and judge in his current case to an undercover officer in 2015, the sheriff’s office said.
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