BEEVILLE — Bee County grand jurors indicted a Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmate on a first degree felony charge on March 29, paving the way for a trial that could keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

John Henry Wyatt was accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant, enhanced to a first degree felony, and possession of a deadly weapon in a penal institution, a third degree felony.

If convicted on the first degree charge, Wyatt could face 99 years to life in prison and a $10,000 fine.

If convicted of the third degree charge, the defendant could be sentenced another 10 years behind bars and fined $10,000.

According to investigators with the TDCJ’s Office of the Inspector General, Wyatt displayed a razor blade against a correctional officer during an incident at one of the state prisons here on March 12, 2011.

The officer was conducting his duty, supervising prison inmates, at the time.

The lesser charge was related to the accusation that Wyatt had the razor blade inside a state prison.

According to the indictment, Wyatt’s charges were enhanced (elevated to a higher level of punishment), because he had numerous felony convictions already on his record.

Those included convictions on two counts of assault on a public servant on Oct. 6, 2003, one count on the same charge and a count of possession of a deadly weapon in a penal institution on Oct. 7, 2003, and one count of assault on a public servant on Oct. 14, 2003, all in Parker County.

In addition, Wyatt had a conviction on a charge of harassment by a person in a correctional facility in Bee County on April 26, 2001.

District Judge Joel Johnson set Wyatt’s bond at $50,000.

Another TDCJ inmate, Clarence Lee Gardener, was indicted on the same charge stemming from an incident on Feb. 3, 2012.

According to a TDCJ OIC investigator, Gardener struck a correctional officer in the face with his hand while the officer was supervising inmates.

At the time, Gardener had previous felony convictions on charges of robbery on Sept. 13, 1990, in Dallas County, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on Dec. 12, 1990, in Kaufman County and on a charge of aggravated assault on a correctional officer with a deadly weapon on Dec. 21, 1992, in Anderson County.

His bond also was $50,000.

Others indicted on March 29 included:

•Martin Perez Esparza, also known as Martin Esparza, on a charge of driving while intoxicated, third charge or more. The offense was enhanced to a second degree felony.

If convicted, Esparza could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $10,000.

According to a Highway Patrol trooper, the 59-year-old defendant was driving under the influence of alcohol on July 9, 2011.

He had previous DWI convictions on Dec. 15, 1992, in Harris County and on March 9, 2005, in Karnes County.

The charge was enhanced from a third degree felony, because Esparza had a previous felony conviction on a charge of aggravated assault of a child on May 31, 1989, in Harris County.

His bond was set at $10,000 with DWI conditions.

•Gabriel Perez on a charge of DWI, third or more (habitual).

According to a Beeville Police Department officer who arrested the defendant on Dec. 9, 2011, Perez was driving while intoxicated.

The indictment showed that Perez had two previous DWI convictions on Nov. 18, 2010, in Bee County.

He also had a conviction on a charge of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on July 1, 2003, and a charge of felony assault-family violence on Oct. 21, 2005, both in Bexar County.

•Robert Lee Puentes on two counts of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements, a third degree felony.

Bee County Sheriff’s Office deputies alleged that the defendant should have registered on April 13, 2010, after being convicted on a charge of criminal solicitation of a minor and knowingly failing to maintain an annually renewable driver’s license or personal identification certification.

The second count alleged that Puentes failed to register with law enforcement authorities in a county where he had resided or intended to resign for more than seven days. The second count indicated that he had failed to register in Bee County on the same conviction mentioned in the first count.

Bond was $5,000.

•David Allen Daniels in a three-count indictments in charges of possession of a controlled substance, cocaine (less than one gram), possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine (one to four grams) and evading arrest/detention with a motor vehicle.

The first and third counts are state jail felonies punishable by up to two years in a state jail facility and a $10,000 fine.

The second count was a third degree felony.

According to sheriff’s deputies, the third count of the indictment was filed because Daniels allegedly fled from a deputy trying to detain him on June 12, 2011.

Bond was $7,500.

•Anson Earl Southmayd on a charge of burglary of a building, a state jail felony.

A Texas Department of Public Safety investigator alleged that Southmayd entered a building owned by another man with the intent to commit theft.

Bond was $2,500.

Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at reporter@mySouTex.com.