Jefferson County, Colorado, is reportedly paying a former inmate $500,000 after correctional officers allegedly abused him while he was incarcerated in 2022.
Frederick Fisk reportedly found himself in an altercation with prison guards when he had a mental health episode and was taken to a different unit, deputies said, according to CBS News.
The incident occurred when Fisk was being escorted through a hallway. Fisk reportedly stopped because he was unable to continue. The two deputies accompanying him allegedly pulled his legs from under his body, slamming him into the floor. (RELATED: Wisconsin Prison Officials Charged Over Multiple Inmate Deaths)
“The takedown, particularly while Mr. Fisk was handcuffed causing him to hit his face on the floor, was unjustified in its application,” said Karlyn Tilley a public information officer. “This administration does not condone this type of conduct.”
Jail inmate from @jeffcosheriffco agrees to $500k settlement after deputies dropped him on his face while he was handcuffed:https://t.co/goz03RvR1P
— Brian Maass (@Briancbs4) June 26, 2024
Tilley said the deputies’ actions seemed to be “a result of inexperience and poor judgment, rather than malice.”
Nevertheless, the county is settling with Fisk to the tune of $500,000. In return, the former inmate will refrain from filing a lawsuit. However, his attorney, David Lane, indicated the matter is not yet settled.
“The fact that no local law enforcement is interested in enforcing the law against their own leaves me no choice but to reach out to the United States Department of Justice and seek a federal civil rights prosecution,” he said.
“When the police investigate the police it always works out very well for the police,” the attorney continued. “These deputies absolutely should be charged with felony assault.”
