SAN ANTONIO – A former Bexar County deputy could be facing criminal charges because of an alleged assault on an inmate in the jail, according to records obtained by KSAT 12 News.
Termination paperwork for jailer Wesley DiGiuseppe turned over by the county last week revealed details about the incident, which occurred more than a year ago on Dec. 2, 2020. As a result of the fight, the inmate suffered a fracture to the base of his skull, according to the records.
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DiGiuseppe was cited for the information he gave on his field incident report, which “was inconsistent with the video footage from the incident,” the records showed.
Footage showed the inmate coming in and placing a card on DiGiuseppe’s desk before the two started talking. The inmate began to walk away from the desk and DiGiuseppe was seen approaching the inmate.
DiGiuseppe was attempting to take the inmate to the floor when he pushed him toward a wall, causing the inmate to hit the back of his head, according to the records.
“Once the inmate was on the floor, (DiGiuseppe) then struck the inmate twice in the face with a closed fist,” according to the dismissal notice.
As other inmates noticed the assault and ran toward the jailer, DiGiuseppe could be seen deploying OC spray in an effort to control the crowd.
In his report, DiGiuseppe claimed the inmate slammed the card on his desk and challenged him to a fight. He also claimed the inmate punched him in the face once as DiGiuseppe attempted to bring him to the ground. Those claims were debunked by the video footage, according to the records.
On Dec. 14, 2020, the office’s Public Integrity Unit submitted multiple criminal charges against DiGiuseppe to the District Attorney’s Office, including assault, official oppression and falsifying a government record.
To date, the district attorney’s office has yet to charge DiGiuseppe. A spokesperson told KSAT that they could not comment on the case, as it is still “pending investigation or review.” It’s unclear why the case has remained opened for nearly one year.
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