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A jail inmate with a history of committing violent assaults finds himself in more legal trouble after allegedly assaulting another inmate earlier this spring.

Daniel Matton, 30, was indicted last week on a felony charge of assault by a prisoner.

According to the indictment, Matton punched another inmate in the face during an altercation at the jail on May 31.

Matton is in jail because of a violent assault he committed last year in Rochester. A few months later, Matton was indicted on a charge of an assault at the jail, an assault that authorities described as one of the most serious assaults in Strafford County jail history.

Capt. Joseph DiGregorio said the county has attempted to deal with Matton by sending him to other jails in the state, but noted that’s he’s been kicked out of those facilities for being "disruptive."

"I know the county has tried to deal with him, but he keeps ending up here," he said. "Unfortunately there’s no other place to keep him."

Matton’s first assault at the jail occurred a year before his most recent. During that altercation authorities say that Matton and his cellmate at the time, Michael Horrigan, were embroiled in an argument when Matton allegedly struck Horrigan in the face with his fist.

Authorities said the attack sent Horrigan to the floor, where his head struck a steel seat and the ground, causing serious head trauma, fractures of the jaw and brain hemorrhaging.

The alleged victim required the alleged victim to undergo emergency surgery.

The attack occurred while Matton was jailed on unrelated assault charges out of Rochester, alleging he fractured a man’s skull when he kicked and punched him in the head.

That incident occurred on April 26, 2009 when the alleged victim approached a group of people making excessive noise on Pine Street at 4 a.m. The victim was then attacked and would later be airlifted to Maine Medical Center with critical injuries, authorities said.

Matton is scheduled to stand trial on charges related to those assaults later this year.

Matton will be arraigned on his new charge Aug. 31 at Strafford County Superior Court.

Assault by a prisoner is a Class B felony punishable by 31/2-to 7-years in prison.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather it means a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.

CONUS TOC SOURCE