A Washington County man charged with assaulting police officers, paramedics and a corrections officer says surveillance and body camera video tell a different story.
Jacob Skirpan, of Hickory, is scheduled to go to trial next month. He faces charges stemming from his September 10, 2025, arrest following a crash and his subsequent time inside the Washington County Jail.
Skirpan recently shared surveillance video obtained through the criminal discovery process with 11 Investigates. He argues the footage shows he was the victim of excessive force and says he hopes a jury will see the same thing.
Dash camera video shows Skirpan arriving at the Washington County Jail after his arrest. He can be heard asking to breathe for a minute before he is removed from the police vehicle.
Seconds later, video shows him being pulled from the SUV by the front of his shirt. Skirpan said he was still handcuffed when he was beaten, tased and pepper sprayed.
“You can see I really didn’t do nothing,” he said. “They pulled me out, tased me and pepper sprayed me in the sallyport. They kicked me. They punched me.”
Additional surveillance video obtained by his attorney shows another angle inside the jail’s sallyport, where several corrections officers are watching an incident unfold. Another video appears to show him being dragged through a hallway inside the jail. A photograph taken afterward shows his face covered in blood.
“They said I was being violent,” Skirpan said. “I don’t know how you can be violent when you’re defending for your life and can’t breathe.”
11 Investigates reviewed the criminal complaints filed in the case.
According to the complaint filed by Mount Pleasant Township police, Skirpan was arrested after a crash on suspicion of driving under the influence. The complaint states he told an officer his blood alcohol content was “way over the limit.”
Police also wrote that Skirpan was “extremely argumentative” and “belligerent,” that his balance was “extremely wobbly,” and that he spat at officers and kicked several police officers and paramedics. The complaint also states that no blood sample was collected at the hospital because of what officers described as his “violent tendencies and outbursts.”
Skirpan disputes that account.
“They called the jail and told them I was coming in to be a problem when I wasn’t,” he said. “Before they pulled me out of the SUV, he told me he was going to ‘F me up.’ And that’s on video footage.”
The Washington County Jail also filed charges against Skirpan.
According to that criminal complaint, around 10 a.m. the following morning, Skirpan was taken to the nurse’s office, where investigators say he punched a corrections officer in the face, grabbed the officer’s beard and ripped out chunks of hair.
The complaint states the officer struck Skirpan in the face and upper body because he feared for his safety.
Skirpan denies those allegations and says there is no video evidence of it.
Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman, who chairs the Washington County Prison Board, told Channel 11 that because of pending litigation, the county cannot comment.
Channel 11 also reached out to the attorney representing the county but has not yet received a response.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
