An inmate who wore a wire while helping prosecutors has been the apparent victim of several brutal attacks inside the Baltimore County Detention Center, including having the word “rat” carved into his back twice.
In the latest incident, Timothy Bryce — the inmate who wore the wire — was found Sunday night at 11:36 lying on the floor face down in his cell with his hands tied behind his back, according to internal reports obtained by The Examiner.
The word “RAT” had been scraped into Bryce’s back. He had a large contusion on his head, a towel in his mouth and a spoon with a note attached to it shoved up his rectum, the reports state.
It was the second time Bryce, 31, had been apparently attacked in a very similar fashion.
On July 18, a jail guard found Bryce lying on the ground with several wounds to his head, the word “Rat” cut into his back and what appeared to be other puncture wounds to his back.
“I can’t feel my legs,” Bryce told the officer.
After the first incident, correctional officers arrested an inmate with a bloody spoon in his cell, but never charged that inmate. Believing Bryce might have inflicted the injuries on himself, jail officials instead accused Bryce of filing a false report.
After this week’s apparent assault, Bryce told an officer that inmate Michael Martin — whom Bryce had tape-recorded — hired someone to carry out the assault, the reports state.
Martin, 46, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in January after a jury convicted him of attempting to solicit the murder of a businessman and the arson of a woman’s house.
A computer technician and a former president of a community association in Lutherville, Martin also was accused of attempting to solicit the murder of a Baltimore County prosecutor, though he was acquitted of that charge.
A call to Martin’s attorney, Steven Scheinin, seeking comment about the attacks on Bryce was not returned by press time.
During Martin’s trial, Scheinin had blamed Bryce for Martin’s woes, saying his client was “conned” by Bryce, whom he described as a “career criminal” with four open arrest warrants.
“I can imagine that Timothy Bryce, wherever he is, is probably laughing,” Scheinin said. “Look at all the turmoil he’s caused. He caused an innocent man to be charged with a crime. He’s been released. He’s committed more crimes. He’s probably very pleased with himself. He’s a con artist who pulled a very good con.”
At Martin’s sentencing hearing, he gave a 45-minute speech declaring himself a “victim” and interrupted Baltimore County Circuit Judge Dana Levitz.
“You would appear to anyone to be delusional,” the judge told the former activist.
Prosecutor Allan Webster said Martin is a “smart” and “calculating” man.
Baltimore County police are investigating the attacks on Bryce and also are conducting a separate investigation into whether jail officials acted properly in housing and protecting the inmate, said police spokesman Bill Toohey.
Jail reports show Bryce was taken off protective custody after his attorney, T. Wray McCurdy, complained the isolation would drive him insane.
Reached Tuesday, he declined to comment.
Prosecutor Ann Brobst, who initially tried to help Bryce after he wore the wire, said she had confidence in jail officials to keep inmates safe.
She also said Bryce had taken advantage of the state by absconding during Martin’s trial and committing additional crimes.
“If I hear anything from Timothy Bryce, I need more evidence than just Timothy Bryce’s word to believe it,” she said.
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