Photo by Alan Olson Jimmy Thompson defends his actions before sentencing in Marshall County, Monday.

A man who was already serving a life sentence for murder saw his term extended by one year Monday, a result of his October 2015 attack on a guard at the Northern Correctional Center in Moundsville.

Jimmy Eugene Thompson, 26, formerly of Charleston, pleaded guilty last month to battery on the guard. Thompson admitted to rushing the guard, striking him several times, during which time his head struck the floor.

During the sentencing hearing Monday, Prosecutor Rhonda Wade brought up the fact that Thompson, during his approximately seven years of incarceration, received written citations a total of 91 times. Many of these were for fighting, as well as other problems such as hoarding prescription medications.

“Ninety-one write-ups do equate to 15 write-ups per year, more than one a month,” Wade said. “The report says he’s unable to procure employment in the establishment, due to a majority of his time being spent in segregation. … He’s never behaved, and he’ll continue to put guards and others in society in jeopardy.”

While Thompson remained silent while entering his plea, he was more vocal in defending his actions while incarcerated.

“(Wade) is judging me on some write-ups, but I’m in a penitentiary, trying to survive,” Thompson said. “I know I shouldn’t be getting in fights and assaulting people, but if I don’t, I’m going to get ran over. Someone will kill me. The mentality is different in there. … She’s holding that over my head, but I’ve got to defend myself.”

Marshall County Circuit Judge Jeff Cramer said he was not going to hold the written citations against Thompson while sentencing him, but was going to treat him the same as any other inmate who was convicted of attacking a guard, regardless of their behavior otherwise — with a maximum sentence.

“I’m not holding those against you — you are a product of the environment, not only of the one in which you were raised, but the one in which you’re currently surviving,” Cramer said. “What I am holding against you is your assault and battery of a security officer. I don’t think that’s part and parcel with being in prison. I don’t know when or if you’ll ever be paroled, but I do know that if you continue to assault officers, every time you’re convicted of it, you’ll get the maximum sentence I can give you.”

Cramer sentenced Thompson to one year in prison, to run consecutive with his life sentence. Convicted in 2010 for the murder of Charleston resident James Andrew Gillespie, Thompson and accomplice Michael Shane Thompson were sentenced to life in prison with mercy, meaning they will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

“I hope you get the message. There probably isn’t any shortage of officers for you to assault, but know that every time you do, it’s going to be a year tacked on to the back end,” Cramer said.

Also appearing in court Monday was Moundsville resident Nathan Shaner, 55, who faced charges of delivery of a controlled substance and failure to update his registration as a sex offender.

Shaner admitted to providing a confidential informant with prescription medication, Tramadol, while visiting a friend.

“He said he needed something, so I let him have it,” Shaner said.

Additionally, Shaner admitted to selling his pickup truck without informing police, a violation of the terms of his sex offender registration.

Cramer sentenced Shaner to two-to-10 years in prison, while being eligible to reduce his sentence to probation after four months.