A Casper man, Jason Lentz, 56, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault and battery in district court on Thursday, June 18. He is presumed innocent unless found or pleading guilty.

Incident Details

Police responded to the report of the attack in the midnight hour on March 15 to the report of the woman saying Lentz, her estranged husband, had come into her home and attacked her new boyfriend. She said Lentz had let himself in while her and the victim were asleep in bed, and that Lentz was in an intoxicated rage.

She ushered him out into the kitchen area to talk to him. When the new boyfriend emerged in the kitchen and confronted him, it reportedly made Lentz angrier. She said Lentz grabbed the man and threw him into the kitchen table, sending the table and several things flying.

She and her roommate then began striking Lentz until he relented. Lentz would later tell police they used a frying pan, and that he had only been defending himself from the victim. Officer Andrew Hamilton arrived to find the victim holding pressure to his head over the sink and a lot of blood in the kitchen.

In addition to the partial attachment tear to the man’s ear, he had a cut on his forehead and complained of pain in his back, shoulder, and kidney area. Officers pulled Lentz over in his vehicle while headed back to his residence, where he was arrested for DUI.

Aftermath

Lentz posted a $9,000 cash or surety bond after first appearing on the charge on April 13. Specialized surgery would be needed to repair the essential function of the victim’s ear.

Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.