A Carbon County inmate has been charged with assaulting another inmate over a debt.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Richard Neikam of the Nesquehoning Borough Police Department:

On Feb. 23, Neikam was dispatched to the Carbon County Correctional Facility at 8:15 p.m. because of a fight between Robert Freeman, 25, and another inmate.

The inmate was transported to the emergency room at St. Luke’s Miners Campus in Coaldale to be evaluated for his injuries after he was struck in the head with a sock full of batteries.

The inmate said he was in his cell when Freeman entered and confronted him about a debt owed from a previous stay in a MAX block.

The inmate said he felt a blow to the head and went to the ground and noticed a sock in Freeman’s hand. The sock containing was found, with four AA batteries inside of it. He then felt a punch to the left side of his face and began to yell for help and a C.O. found him in a puddle of blood toward the back of his cell.

The victim had a cut to the left side of his head and also had left arm pain.

He received about seven to eight stitches in his head and his left hand was X-rayed.

Freeman told police he went into the inmate’s cell to confront him on a debt and that the other inmate started the fight with him.

Freeman denied striking the inmate with the sock, but said that he punched him in self-defense.

During the interview, Freeman became defensive and yelled a vulgarity at Neikam.

Freeman faces charges of assault by prisoner, aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment.

He remains incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail, and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before District Judge Casimir T. Kosciolek of Lansford.