Sheriff pursues criminal complaint against Hernandez in alleged jailhouse fight

BRISTOL, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- An application for a criminal complaint has been filed against Aaron Hernandez after the alleged jail fight he was involved in last month.

Sheriff Tom Hodgson confirmed to FOX 25 that the application was filed in the third district court in New Bedford to charge the former Patriot with assault and battery. The filing comes after Hernandez was involved in an alleged jailhouse altercation in late February.

Hernandez engaged in a fight with another inmate, according to Hodgson.

TMZ Sports reported that the football player was not in handcuffs during the fight with the other inmate, whose hands were restrained in handcuffs at the time. Hodgson did not comment on that. He did say that no one was injured and that the fight was brief.

The filing will go to the clerk magistrate, who will decide if it goes forward. No charges have been filed against the guard, who followed procedure, according to the Hodgson.

"We've looked at that extensively. Our officers followed the proper procedures, however, we did identify the fact that we had gone to extra lengths to make sure, as we would for a sex offender or anyone else who is a high-profile person, to do everything we could to restrict anyone in the same unit from hurting that individual. What we didn't anticipate in the case of Mr. Hernandez is that the role would have been reversed," he said.

The other inmate will not face charges either.

When asked about the rumors going around about this possibly being some kind of a setup, Hodgson said, "We've looked at it extensively. The officers that were in that unit at the time are some of our finest officers and they're very well disciplined. They're all very seasoned officers."

Hernandez is being held without bail at the Bristol County House of Correction on murder and weapons charges in the death of Odin Lloyd. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Cox Media Group