Moments before the jury was seated in the Kountze 356th District Court on April 18, a Hardin County man pleaded guilty to charges of assault on a public servant and retaliation.
Frank Edward Banks, 39, told Hardin District Judge Steven Thomas he wanted to waive his right to a jury trial and plead guilty to the charges.
Banks was charged with striking a Hardin County Jailer in the head after jumping over a counter to assault the officer.
The charges Banks faced on Tuesday: retaliation and assault on a public servant, could carry up to 10 years incarceration each, although the assault charge may be enhanced up to a term of 25 years.
Thomas asked whether Banks understood the charges and the potential penalties to which he replied, “Yes, sir.”
He will return to court Wednesday, April 19, at 9 a.m. for sentencing.
Banks appeared in court on Monday and Tuesday in a restraint chair as he told jailers he would refuse to walk into the courtroom.
He is currently serving a 20-year sentence in the Texas State Prison for felony assault on a public servant and evading arrest.
In November 2014, Banks was arrested after striking a Kountze policewoman in the head with an unopened beer can and then beating her with his fists.
He was returned to Hardin County on a Bench Warrant to face the more recent charges.
