Didley's Bouncer Charged With Assault in Ensign Case
Ben Ensign
A bouncer from Jack Didley's has been charged with third degree assault for his role in the incident July 4th which left Ben Ensign with a significant brian injury.
41-year old Mathhew Hibbard is accused of grabbing Ensign around the neck and, along with another bouncer, dropping Ensign on the concrete sidewalk outside of the club. Ensign, who was intoxicated at the time, had already been thrown out of the club after an earlier altercation and was trying to re-enter. The charges contain an allegation of aggravated circumstances because Ensign's injuries exceed the level of harm necessary to have committed the offense.
Ensign remains in the intensive care unit at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. He was brought out of a medically induced coma last week and according to a family maintained website has minimal voluntary movement on the left side of his body and no voluntary movement on the right side of his body. The site indicates Ensign still has a large amount of swelling on the left side of the brain and is fighting through pneumonia and battling blood clots in his arms.
If convicted, a third degree assault charge could put Hibbard in jail for a maximum of five years. However, because this is an aggravated charge, the judge can sentence outside of the standard range. Hibbard will make his first court appearance August 9th.
You can check on Ensign's condition at the following website: https://sites.google.com/site/benensignslife/