Deputy Still Recuperating From Attack Judge Orders Psychological Evaluation For Prisoner

A Kootenai County jailer is still recovering after a felon allegedly tried to strangle him with restraining chains more than a week ago.

Deputy Bill Danish is at home recovering from throat, eye and skin injuries after the inmate choked him and sprayed him with pepper spray, Sheriff Rocky Watson said.

“Other than that, he’s doing OK,” Watson said.

Martin Schorzman, 40, allegedly overpowered Danish at the Kootenai County Courthouse on Feb. 15. Schorzman was being taken to court for sentencing on two methamphetamine convictions.

Since then, Schorzman has been charged with attempted murder. First District Judge James Judd has ordered a psychological evaluation before he sentences Schorzman on any charges.

In the meantime, sheriff’s officials are conducting internal reviews about jail security, transport and equipment.

Jailers are already making sure belly chains are tighter around inmates.

Inmates also are not allowed to wear sweat suits under their trademark orange coveralls, or wear tennis shoes while being transported, Watson said.

The tighter measures come after Schorzman allegedly slipped off his belly chain while wearing hand and ankle shackles, then attacked Danish and fled through downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Schorzman had shed his jail coveralls and was running in a gray sweat suit and tennis shoes, making him harder to spot. Police captured him a few blocks away near Sixth and Foster Avenue.

In a jailhouse interview Thursday, Schorzman said he doesn’t remem- ber the Feb. 15 incident.

“I don’t know. All I know is I was laying on the floor fighting somebody that was kicking me,” he said.

Schorzman said he was coming down off methamphetamine, a drug he has been addicted to for years. And he believed the jailer was going to shoot him.

“I don’t believe I’m such a bad person that I need to be locked up the rest of my life,” he said. “They think I’m a demon. That isn’t so.”

Schorzman said he needs treatment for his addiction. “If they would have offered me treatment months ago, I would have taken it,” he said. “I don’t want to be strung out on crank for the rest of my life.”

Inmate Bill Gadberry was being transported to court for sentencing the same day as Schorzman. Gadberry said Thursday he remembers being in a van with Schorzman and another inmate being taken to the courthouse for sentencing that day.

At the courthouse, Gadberry said, Danish led the three inmates into holding cells, where they were to stay until bailiffs called them for their sentencings. Danish put Gadberry into a holding cell by himself and Schorzman and the other inmate into another, bigger cell.

Immediately, Schorzman began to complain that his ankles hurt. He was told bailiffs would look at his restraints when they came to take another inmate into court, Gadberry said.

But when the bailiffs took the other inmate up to the courthouse, nothing was done about Schorzman’s ankles, Gadberry said.

Then Schorzman began to complain louder about his ankle shackles.

Danish, who was sitting at his desk, got up and walked to Schorzman’s cell, Gadberry said. He remembers Danish telling Schorzman to back up to the cell door so the bailiff could look at the inmate’s ankles.

Schorzman backed up to the door and held up his leg, but Danish couldn’t get a good look at the shackles, Gadberry said.

So, Danish walked over and put his gun in a locker, then returned to unlock the cell to get a better look.

While Schorzman was standing with his back to Danish and his head resting on the cell’s doorjamb, Danish bent down to look Schorzman’s ankles.

It looked like he had inserted a key into Schorzman’s shackle, Gadberry said, giving this account of what happened next:

Suddenly Schorzman swung his belly chain out holding it with both hands and wrapped it around Danish’s neck.

Schorzman then slammed Danish up against the cage and had him on the ground, kneeing him.

He told Danish to give up the key.

Gadberry yelled from his cell, hop ing to attract attention, he said. “It looked to me like he was going to kill him,” Gadberry said.

Gadberry yelled to Danish to key his radio’s microphone so Gadberry could yell for help.

When Danish reached to grab his microphone, Schorzman grabbed the radio and threw it to the floor.

Danish looked as if he was losing consciousness.

Schorzman got up, almost coming to, as if he finally realized what he was doing, Gadberry said.

Then Danish went for his pepper spray. Schorzman grabbed it, and the two began fighting over it.

Finally, Schorzman grabbed the spray and squirted it into Danish’s face.

Schorzman obtained the jailer’s keys, backed up to the door, took off his handcuffs and shackles and tried the door leading out of the holding cell area.

It was locked.

Danish began to get up to stop Schorzman, but Schorzman pushed him to the wall and said he wanted the key to get out.

Gadberry began telling Danish to just give Schorzman the key so he could leave and Danish could wash his eyes.

Schorzman got the key, unlocked the door and then climbed the fence.

Danish ran to wash his eyes and tried to call for help on the phone.

Eventually bailiffs came to help.

Schorzman faces a separate at tempted first-degree murder charge in Benewah County.

Police allege Schorzman shot at an Idaho Fish and Game officer Feb. 10 near DeSmet, Idaho.

If convicted, Schorzman could face life in prison.

“If I could stop it today, I would,” Schorzman said of his addiction and the growing methamphetamine problem. “I would stop all the methamphetamine on the streets of Coeur d’Alene.”

This sidebar appeared with the story:

Inmates under new rules

Martin Schorzman, 40, has been charged with attempted murder after a county jailer was choked and maced during an escape attempt.

Since the Feb. 15 attack:

Belly chains are tighter.

Inmates can’t wear sweat suits under orange jail coveralls.

Inmates can’t wear tennis shoes while in transit.