Staff Report

Jeromie Lee Bright

WARSAW — A Syracuse man was recently arrested after allegedly battering a man at the Time Out Inn.

Jeromie Lee Bright, 41, 709 W. North St., Syracuse, is charged with battery while armed with a deadly weapon and criminal confinement, both level 5 felonies.

On May 6, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a report of battery occurring at the Time Out Inn in Warsaw. Upon arrival, the officer saw four people near one of the business’s entrances. One of the people was sitting on the curb rubbing his right wrist.

According to court documents, the man had visible abrasions and cuts on his right wrist and knuckles. The man said he was leaving Time Out Inn in his vehicle when Bright pulled up in a vehicle and almost caused a collision. Bright allegedly used his vehicle to block the man from leaving the parking lot. He then exited his vehicle while holding a lanyard-like rope object in his hand.

The man said Bright rushed him with a rope that had a hard ball at the end of it. He said he attempted to block the strikes and pinned Bright to the ground. The officer noticed the man had injuries to his right elbow, right wrist and the knuckles on his left hand. During his interaction with law enforcement, the man said he was experiencing right side pain.

The officer spoke with a witness who was traveling nearby and saw the man pinning Bright down. She said the man was requesting witnesses to contact law enforcement and that Bright’s vehicle blocked the man from leaving the parking lot.

A short time after the altercation, officers found Bright in the Kosciusko County Jail parking lot. During the initial contact, officers noticed a weapon commonly known as a “monkey fist” on the passenger seat of Bright’s vehicle. A “monkey fist” is a weapon wielded like a club and is readily capable of causing serious bodily injury.

Bright agreed to speak with law enforcement about what happened. He said he had been out looking for his girlfriend and had been traveling to several local bars. Bright said he had suspicions of the man being involved with his girlfriend and that he became angry when he saw the man leave Time Out Inn.

He allegedly said there was a verbal exchange resulting in the man tackling him first and that neither party threw any punches. Bright described the altercation as the two of them “rolling on the ground like little girls.”

He admitted to having the “monkey fist” on him during the altercation because he believed the man had a firearm, leading him to arm himself with the weapon. The officer did not notice any injuries on Bright.

Bright was previously convicted of battery resulting in moderate bodily injury in December 2019.

He was arrested for this case on May 6, with a $10,250 surety and cash bond.