A Lehighton man was given more state prison time on Monday in Carbon County court after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a fellow inmate at the county prison.

Damian Eidem, 32, was sentenced by President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II to serve six to 12 months in a state correctional institution on a charge of simple assault. That term runs consecutive to a one- to two-year state term he is currently serving, also imposed in Carbon County. Eidem pleaded to simple assault with a more serious count of assault by a prisoner dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Nanovic rejected a request by Eidem to run the term concurrent with his present sentence. Nanovic noted that Eidem committed the assault on Aug. 8, 2018, just prior to being sentenced on the other charges. Eidem claimed the victim had borrowed $50 from him in January and never repaid it.

However, Nanovic noted that when Eidem was committed to the county prison on other charges he learned that the victim was an inmate and requested he be placed in the same cell block as the victim.

“You requested the same block so you could confront him.” Nanovic said.

Nesquehoning police filed the charges and noted that Eidem punched and kicked the victim, which required medical attention.

Eidem is currently an inmate at the state correction institution at Chester. He was also ordered to pay court costs of about $1,000.