Memphis, TN – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jonathan York and Tommy Morris, two former correctional officers at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, with federal civil rights, conspiracy, and obstruction offenses, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee D. Michael Dunavant, and FBI-Memphis Special Agent in Charge M.A. Myers.

The indictment alleges that, on Feb. 1, 2019, Correctional Officer Jonathan York and other officers entered the cell of an inmate identified by the initials R.T. York allegedly directed a fellow correctional officer to cover the surveillance camera in the cell and then he repeatedly punched R.T. York allegedly directed another officer to hit R.T. A third officer also punched R.T. As a result of the unjustified use of force by the officers, R.T. suffered bodily injury.

The indictment alleges that Corporal Tommy Morris violated R.T.’s civil rights when Morris knew of the unjustified staff assault on R.T., but failed to intervene to stop the officers. The indictment charges Morris and York with conspiring to cover up the use of unlawful force on R.T. Finally, the indictment charges Morris with obstructing justice by encouraging correctional officers to provide false and misleading information about the circumstances surrounding the injuries R.T suffered.

The defendants face statutory maximum sentences of 10 years for the civil rights count; five years for the conspiracy charge; and 20 years for each obstruction count.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Previously, former correctional officers Cadie McAlister, Nathaniel Griffin, Tanner Penwell, and Carl Spurlin, Jr. entered guilty pleas for criminal offenses arising out of the assault of inmate R.T.

This case was investigated by the Memphis Division of the FBI with the support of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

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Memphis, TN – Cadie McAlister, 21, pleaded guilty to a federal offense and admitted concealing other correctional officers’ assault of an inmate while McAlister was serving as an officer with the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

"Correctional officers who conceal unlawful actions of other officers erode public trust and will not be tolerated by the Department of Justice," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will continue to hold correctional officers accountable for their actions."

"Correctional officers must abide by and adhere to the same laws they take an oath to uphold and enforce. Instead of serving and protecting the public, this officer actively participated to conceal the use of physical force by other officers to violate the civil rights of an individual. As a result, she will now be held accountable, vividly illustrating that no one is above the law," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee.

"When a law enforcement officer violates the civil rights of another, she brings shame on the badge and all law enforcement officers," said Special Agent in Charge M.A. Myers of the FBI Memphis Field Office. "This plea should send a clear message that the FBI makes it a priority to bring any law enforcement officer who violates the constitution and the trust of the people to justice."

With her guilty plea, McAlister admitted that, on Feb. 1, 2019, she and other correctional officers at the Northwest County Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee went to the cell of R.T., an inmate in the mental health unit. Other officers entered the cell while McAlister stood in the doorway. McAlister heard someone ask for the surveillance camera to be covered and saw a correctional officer cover the camera with his hand.

After the camera was covered, McAlister saw an officer repeatedly hit R.T. without any lawful justification. While the officer was hitting R.T., another officer asked McAlister to get paper towels. She brought paper towels back to the cell and provided them to an officer who wet them. She then saw the officer covering the camera put the wet paper towels over the camera.

McAlister was responsible for regularly updating the logbook in the mental health unit during her shift. However, she failed to document: the arrival of additional officers into the unit; the entry of five officers into R.T.’s cell; that an officer repeatedly hit R.T.; that the camera was covered while the officers were in the cell; that she provided paper towels which were used to cover the camera; or that R.T. remained in his cell bleeding after the correctional officers left.

With today’s guilty plea, McAlister admitted that she violated 18 U.S.C. § 4 by knowing of a federal felony, failing to notify authorities of the felony, and taking an affirmative step to conceal the felony. The maximum penalty for this offense is three years of imprisonment.

Previously, former correctional officers Nathaniel Griffin, Tanner Penwell, and Carl Spurlin Jr., entered guilty pleas for criminal offenses arising out of the assault of inmate R.T.

This case is being investigated by the Memphis Division of the FBI, with the support of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

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Memphis, TN – Carl Spurlin Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to a federal offense and admitted concealing other correctional officers’ assault of an inmate while Spurlin was serving as a correctional officer with the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

"The Department of Justice will not tolerate this egregious behavior," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. "The Civil Rights Division will vigorously prosecute all those who have violated the civil rights of others."

"Correctional officers must abide by and adhere to the same laws they take an oath to uphold and enforce. Instead of serving and protecting the public, this officer actively participated to conceal the use of physical force by other officers to violate the civil rights of an individual. As a result, he will now be held accountable, vividly illustrating that no one is above the law," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee.

"When correctional officers abuse their authority and harm inmates, it not only violates our civil rights laws, it undermines the criminal justice system as a whole," said M.A. Myers, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the FBI. "This plea should send a clear message that the FBI takes these allegations seriously, and will vigorously investigate these kinds of cases, and those who violate the public's trust will be held accountable."

With his guilty plea, Spurlin admitted that, on February 1, 2019, he and several other correctional officers at the Northwest County Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, entered the cell of R.T., an inmate in the mental health unit. R.T. had been identified as a suicide risk and he was bleeding when the officers entered his cell. After the correctional officers entered the cell, R.T. swung his bloody hand towards the officers nearest him, flinging blood in their direction.

A correctional officer looked in the direction of the surveillance camera in the cell and said, "violate the camera." When Spurlin did not make a move to do so, the officer repeated the command. Spurlin looked at a supervisory officer standing nearby, and when the supervisory officer did not contradict the officer who had spoken, Spurlin covered the camera with his hand. Spurlin then watched three correctional officers repeatedly punch R.T. in the head and body. According to Spurlin, the officers struck R.T. "like a piñata."

While the three officers repeatedly punched R.T., another correctional officer came to the cell with paper towels. The officer handed wet paper towels to Spurlin and he used them to cover the camera. The assault by the officers continued while Spurlin covered the surveillance camera.

With today’s guilty plea, Spurlin admitted that he violated 18 U.S.C. § 4 by knowing of a federal felony, failing to notify authorities of the felony, and taking an affirmative step to conceal the felony. The maximum penalty for this offense is three years of imprisonment. Sentencing is set for January 15, 2020.

In related cases, former Correctional Officer Nathaniel Griffin entered a guilty plea in federal court on August 15, 2019, and former Correctional Officer Tanner Penwell entered a guilty plea in federal court on September 5, 2019. With their guilty pleas, both defendants admitted that they assaulted R.T. on February 1, 2019.

This case is being investigated by the Memphis Division of the FBI with the support of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

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Memphis, TN – Tanner Penwell, 22, pleaded guilty to using unlawful force on an inmate while Penwell was serving as a correctional officer with the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

"This type of behavior and violation of an inmate’s civil rights will not be tolerated," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will continue to seek out justice on behalf of those who have had their civil rights violated."

"Correctional officers must abide by and adhere to the same laws they take an oath to uphold and enforce. Instead of serving and protecting the public, this officer used physical force to violate the civil rights of an individual and will now be held accountable, vividly illustrating that no one is above the law," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant.

"The FBI will vigorously investigate and bring to justice any law enforcement officer who crosses the line and engages in activity that violates the civil rights of those whose safety they are charged with," said Bryan McCloskey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "This plea should be a reminder that wearing a badge does not make one above the law."

With his guilty plea, Penwell admitted that, on February 1, 2019, he and several other correctional officers entered the cell of R.T., an inmate in the mental health unit at the Northwest County Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. Penwell and the other officers entered the cell because R.T. was a suicide risk. Inmate R.T. was already bleeding when the officers entered his cell, and R.T. flung blood toward the correctional officers.

Once inside, a correctional officer looked in the direction of the surveillance camera in the cell and said, "violate the camera." Another correctional officer then covered the camera with his hand.

The correctional officer who asked for the camera to be violated then repeatedly punched R.T. Penwell estimated that this officer hit R.T. more than 20 times. When the officer stopped hitting R.T., he looked back at Penwell and said, "get him." Penwell stepped up and punched R.T. multiple times in the head. After Penwell stopped punching R.T., a third correctional officer punched R.T.

Throughout the time he was being punched by the correctional officers, inmate R.T. sat on the bench in the cell and only used his arms to cover his face in an apparent attempt to protect his face from the correctional officers’ punches. At no point did R.T. attempt to fight back. Penwell knew that punching R.T. was unlawful, but he did not step in to stop it. A supervisor and several correctional officers were in a position to watch as the three correctional officers punched inmate R.T., but none of them attempted to stop the officers from hitting R.T. After R.T. was punched by the officers, Penwell observed that R.T. was bleeding much more than when they had first entered the cell.

Once outside of the cell, Penwell spoke with several correctional officers and a supervisor. The supervisor said he needed to see if the camera inside the cell was working. The supervisor and the first correctional officer who punched R.T. decided that all of the officers would falsely claim that R.T. injured himself while he was on suicide watch in the mental health unit.

The next morning, the first correctional officer who punched R.T. told Penwell that instead of falsely claiming that R.T. injured himself, as the supervisor had proposed the day before, they should both falsely blame the third correctional officer who punched R.T. for all of R.T.’s injuries. Over the next few days, the first officer who punched R.T. repeatedly told Penwell to stick to this new cover story.

With today’s guilty plea, Penwell admitted that he violated 18 U.S.C. § 242 when he repeatedly punched and injured inmate R.T. without legal justification. The maximum penalty for this civil rights offense is 10 years imprisonment.

In a related case, former Correctional Officer Nathaniel Griffin entered a guilty plea in federal court on August 15, 2019. Sentencing is scheduled for November 27, 2019, before U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen.

This case was investigated by the Memphis Division of the FBI with the support of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

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Memphis, TN – Nathaniel Griffin, 29, today pleaded guilty to using unlawful force on an inmate while Griffin was serving as a correctional officer with the Tennessee Department of Corrections, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee D. Michael Dunavant, and FBI-Memphis Special Agent in Charge M.A. Myers.

"The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute correctional officers who violate the public’s trust by committing crimes and attempting to cover up violations of federal criminal law," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. "Officer Griffin abused his power in this case, and the Department of Justice held him accountable for his unlawful actions."

"Correctional officers must abide by and adhere to the same laws they take an oath to uphold and enforce. Instead of serving and protecting the public, this officer used physical force to violate the civil rights of an individual and will now be held accountable, vividly illustrating that no one is above the law," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant.

"The FBI takes all allegations of civil rights violations seriously, and we will work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to preserve the integrity of the criminal justice system," said M.A. Myers, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Those who choose to ignore the oath they took to protect and serve will be investigated and brought to justice."

On or about Feb. 1, Griffin and fellow correctional officers T.P., J.Y., C.M., and C.S. entered the cell of R.T., an inmate in the mental health unit at the Northwest County Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. Inmate R.T. spit and then remained seated on a bench, with his arms by his sides.

Correctional officer J.Y. looked in the direction of the surveillance camera in the cell and said, "Cover the camera." Officer C.S. then covered the camera with his hand. When the camera was covered, Griffin saw inmate R.T. sitting with his arms by his side. Correctional Officer J.Y. then repeatedly punched R.T. Griffin estimated that Officer J.Y. hit R.T. between 20-30 times. At some point, Officer J.Y. stopped hitting R.T., looked back at Officer T.P., and said, "Get you some." Officer T.P. then stepped up and punched R.T. between four to five times.

During the assault by the officers, inmate R.T. sat on the bench and covered his face and head with his hands. Griffin knew that punching R.T. was unlawful, but he did not step in to stop it. Officers T.M., C.S., and C.M. were in a position to watch as J.Y. and T.P. punched inmate R.T., but none of them attempted to stop the officers from hitting R.T.

Griffin heard an officer in the cell ask for paper towels. Correctional Officer C.M. handed the towels to Griffin. Griffin wet them in the sink, and handed them to Officer C.S. Griffin knew when they wet the towels, they would be used to cover the camera. After R.T. was punched by J.Y. and T.P., Griffin observed that R.T. was bleeding.

After Officers J.Y. and T.P. stopped punching R.T., the inmate spit on Griffin’s chest and arm. Griffin punched R.T. multiple times. Griffin then left the cell.

Outside of the cell, Griffin spoke with T.P., J.Y., and Corporal T.M. Corporal T.M., who was the ranking officer, told the other officers that they should come up with a false cover story about what happened to R.T. Griffin understood that any subsequent discussion of the incident would not include that he and other officers had punched R.T.

Griffin admitted in today’s guilty plea that he violated 18 U.S.C. § 242 when he repeatedly punched and injured inmate R.T. without legal justification. The maximum penalty for this civil rights offense is 10 years imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2019, before U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen.

This case was investigated by the Memphis Division of the FBI with the support of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rebekah J. Bailey of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

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