GREENHEAD — Six correctional officers have been arrested in connection with a prison beating and fired from their positions with the Northwest Florida Reception Center in Washington County.
Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) officials have arrested Sgt. William Finch, Sgt. James Perkins, Sgt. Robert Miller, Sgt. Christopher Christmas and Sgt. Dalton Riley on charges of malicious felony battery on an inmate. A superior officer, Capt. James Kirkland, also was arrested on additional charges of official misconduct.
All six have been dismissed as a result of their actions, DOC officials said.
The arrests stem from an Aug. 5 incident involving 31-year-old inmate Jeremiah L. Tatum, who is serving a 31-year prison sentence for cocaine trafficking.
Video from the prison showed Tatum being slammed face first to the concrete floor by Finch and Riley while Tatum’s hands were restrained behind his back and his ankles restrained. The three other officers then jumped on Tatum and pinned him to the ground, according to arrest records.
Each of the subordinate officers told investigators the attack was designed by their supervisor. Kirkland told them he wanted Tatum taken to the ground during an escort, and that he would prompt the attack by yelling Tatum spit on him, investigators reported.
However, the five subordinate officers told investigators none of Tatum’s actions justified the use of force. They were booked into Washington County Jail with a $2,500 bond.
Kirkland was charged with two counts of official misconduct for orchestrating the incident and then allegedly pressuring the officers to sign fictitious reports. His bond was unclear Thursday.
“These arrests and terminations send a very clear message: we have zero tolerance for criminal activity by our staff,” DOC Secretary Mike Crews said in a press release. “I expect everyone to do what is right, and I have restated my commitment to hold those who do not to meet our expectations accountable for their wrongdoing.”
As investigations proceeded last week, DOC announced a strict zero-tolerance policy for employee misconduct. DOC employees who commit a criminal act will be immediately placed on administrative leave and the department will initiate disciplinary action for their dismissal.
Crews and Deputy Secretary Tim Cannon met today with the command staff at Northwest Florida Reception Center as part of Crews’ commitment to personally visit every Department of Corrections institution to emphasize his expectations for transparency, accountability and professionalism, DOC officials reported.
“Our staff should be held to the highest standards, and those who fail to do the right thing will no longer work for this agency,” Crews said. “As I have emphasized to our staff in my meetings around the state, we will not let the bad actions of a few undermine our culture of professionalism and tarnish the reputations of all the hard working men and women in our Department.”
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
GREENHEAD — Six Department of Corrections (DOC) employees were arrested, charged and fired at the Northwest Florida Reception Center, according to a news release.
Five members of the staff — Sgt. William Finch, Sgt. James Perkins, Sgt. Robert Miller, Sgt. Christopher Christmas and Sgt. Dalton Riley — were arrested by the Office of Inspector General on charges of felony battery of an inmate, according to the DOC release. A sixth staff member, Capt. James Kirkland, was arrested and faces an additional charge of official misconduct.
All six have been fired, DOC reported.
Check back later this evening for more details