He was sentenced to 66 months, according to a release from the office of Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

On Aug. 25, a Leavenworth County jury found Pertuz guilty after a trial that lasted less than a day.

According to court records, Pertuz was charged on July 25, 2022, after an incident inside the Leavenworth County Jail. Court documents state that Pertuz was participating in a basketball game inside the Rec Pod when, at one point during the game, Pertuz jumped on the back of his victim, who was a fellow inmate, and bit off the top of the victim’s ear.

“The law applies inside and outside correctional facilities,” Thompson said. “Violence will not be tolerated, no matter where it occurs. Everyone — whether staff or inmate — deserves to be safe.”