Man found guilty of attacking inmate at North Kern State Prison
A man was found guilty by a Kern County jury Thursday of attacking an inmate at North Kern State Prison in Delano in 2022, according to the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
Patrick Watkins, 60, was convicted of assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with force likely to result in great bodily injury, and possession of an inmate-manufactured weapon.
On Aug. 25, 2022, Watkins slashed a neighboring inmate with an inmate-manufactured weapon after Watkins' and the victim’s cells were opened at the same time during medication distribution. Watkins then manually shut his cell door and officers later found the weapon in his cell, according to the DA.
According to the DA, Watkins was serving time in prison after a slew of crimes in Los Angeles County from 2011 to 2014 and was dubbed the “Western Bandit” in Los Angeles.
Watkins now faces a sentence of up to 27 years to life in prison, in addition to his current sentence, according to the DA. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13.
