An Arnold man was charged Friday for an assault of another inmate in a Westmoreland County Courthouse holding cell, according to the county sheriff’s department.
Officials said Brian Rebold, 39, was taken to a hospital after what officials described as an unprovoked attack in which Rebold was struck at least a dozen times. Authorities said Rebold suffered a broken nose. He was expected to be released from the hospital and returned to the Westmoreland County Prison.
Rebold, who is being held without bond, was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on charges that he killed his mother.
“We have video of the (holding cell) incident,” said county Chief Deputy Sheriff Jennifer Shipley. “It appears Rebold tried to defend himself when he fell to the ground and the assault continued.”
Inmates taken from the jail await court appearances in one of three holding cells adjacent to the sheriff’s office. About 10 inmates are held in each cell, Shipley said.
Devon Bayne, 33, of Arnold, was among the inmates being held with Rebold. He was scheduled to appear before a judge for pretrial hearings.
Bayne is charged with one count of simple assault related to allegations he attacked Rebold.
According to the criminal complaint, a sheriff’s deputy said he overheard inmates in the holding cell discuss Rebold’s case and express displeasure that he had disrespected his mother. Police said video from the holding cell depicts Bayne abruptly swing and strike Rebold, knocking him to the ground and continuing to hit him at least 12 times.
Bayne, according to authorities, eventually stopped the attack, picked up an item off the floor and sat on a holding cell sink.
Assistant Public Defender Wade Diedrich, who represents Rebold, said he did not have any details about the alleged assault or his client’s condition.
Rebold is awaiting trial in connection to the August 2024 stabbing death of his 73-year-old mother outside of the family’s Arnold home. His trial is not expected to begin before April.
According to court records, the body of Diana Rebold was found wounded in the street with her son standing nearby. Police said Rebold confessed to stabbing his mother in the throat and back. Detectives also said she had multiple stab wounds to her head.
Rebold was convicted in other unrelated cases, including the assault of three people at the New Kensington YMCA in 2020 and for an assault of a guard while incarcerated at the county jail last year, according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to the assault at the jail in July, just two weeks before the fatal stabbing, and was sentenced to eight to 23 months behind bars. He was paroled after given credit for time served.
Bayne is awaiting trial in three cases in which he is charged with simple assault, witness intimidation, aggravated assault, strangulation and reckless endangerment.
According to court records, Bayne has a lengthy criminal record that also includes convictions for a drug offense, an assault and a 2010 robbery in which he was sentenced to serve two to four years in prison.
Bayne also was charged with homicide in connection with a man’s death outside of a New Kensington bar in 2015. Prosecutors claimed Bayne fired four shots that killed Anthony “Ace” Ritchie, 24, of Bucks County, outside the Valley Bar. Following a three-day trial, a Westmoreland County jury acquitted Bayne of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, robbery and a firearms offense.
