Public defender injured after attacking inmates at Hendricks Co Jail

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. – A Hendricks County attorney suffered injuries to his face, head and shoulder after an alleged attack by a prison inmate.

The incident occurred Aug. 28 at the Hendricks County Jail.

According to court documents, court-appointed public defender Scott Knierim met with his client Kyle Braun in an interview room.

“This room has video only to protect attorney-client privilege, so only video was available,” court documents state.

Three minutes into their meeting, Inmate Braun leaned forward, pushed the desk toward Attorney Knierim, began punching the attorney and reading court documents.

“It appears that inmate Kyle Braun delivered at least four blows to Attorney Knierim’s face, head and arm,” court documents state.

A Hendricks County sheriff’s deputy stopped the attack and Knierim was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

According to the affidavit, Knierim suffered injuries to his face, head and shoulder.

Prosecutors charged inmate Kyle Andrew Braun with battery causing bodily harm.

The Indiana Public Defender Council, which includes public defenders from across Indiana, expressed concern about the incident.

“We would like to express our condolences to the lawyer affected and offer him our full support during this challenging time. The IPDC does not have statistics on the base rate of workplace violence for public defenders in Indiana. However, we have no reason to assume that public defenders experience violence at a significantly higher rate than other legal professionals.”

Braun also faces criminal charges of invasion of privacy, attempted murder and assault where the victim is a public safety officer.

Attorney Scott Knierim declined an interview with WRTV.

Braun’s new public defender also declined to comment.

The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement regarding the incident:

“Although incidents of this nature are extremely rare at our facility, the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office takes the safety of our inmates, visitors and staff very seriously. We already had security protocols in place prior to this incident, including video surveillance in the attorney/client visitation room and a jailer security guard directly outside the attorney/client visitation room door. We are proud to say that as soon as this incident began, our deputies IMMEDIATELY responded to intervene, stop the attack and prevent more serious injury to the visiting attorney. Historically, our inmates have generally been grateful for the legal assistance of their guest attorneys. As a public safety agency, we continually evaluate the overall security of our operational protocols. We have discussed the specific circumstances of this incident to determine whether there are any physical or technological improvements that could be made to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

WRTV has reported that due to our state’s lawyer shortage, many counties are in desperate need of prosecutors and public defenders.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, violence can occur in any workplace and among any type of worker.

“Those at higher risk include workers who exchange money with the public, delivery drivers, health care professionals, public service employees, customer service representatives, law enforcement personnel and those who work alone or in small groups,” federal OSHA said.

According to the CDC, the risk of non-lethal violence resulting in days off work is greatest for health care and social assistance workers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20,050 private sector workers suffered trauma from non-lethal workplace violence in 2020. These incidents required days away from work.

Of the victims who have suffered trauma from workplace violence:

• 73% were female
• 62% were between 25 and 54 years old
• 76% worked in health and social services
• 22% required 31 or more days away from work to recover
• 22% involved three to five days of absence from work