Four former Angola officers sentenced in beating of handcuffed inmate

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Four former correctional officers at Angola have been sentenced for their roles in assaulting an inmate who was handcuffed, according to U.S. Attorney Brandon Fremin.

The Department of Justice reports Daniel Davis, Scott Kennedy, John Sanders, and James Savor, Jr., were sentenced for beating the inmate, conspiring to lie and cover up their misconduct, submitting false reports, tampering with witnesses, and lying under oath.

Kennedy, Sanders, and Savoy each pleaded guilty, and Davis was convicted in trials for obstruction and the beating.

According to Fremin, at Davis’ trials, Kennedy and Sanders, among other officers, testified for the government and described the abuse and the extensive cover-up.

More: Former major at Angola convicted of beating handcuffed, shackled inmate

Evidence presented at trial showed that Davis began the attack by yanking on the inmate’s leg chains, causing the inmate to fall face-first onto the concrete breezeway.

According to court records, at that point, Davis and other officers punched, kicked, and stomped on the inmate, leaving the inmate with a dislocated shoulder, a hematoma, a collapsed lung, and broken ribs. Davis later ordered his subordinate officers to cover up the beating by falsifying reports, fabricating prison records, and lying to investigators.

District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Davis, the ringleader of the beating and cover-up, to 110 months of imprisonment. Sanders and Savoy were sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, and 24 months of imprisonment, respectively. Kennedy, the least culpable officer, was sentenced to a 14-month term of probation during which he will be required to team up with the FBI to give presentations to federal, state, and local correctional officers about the consequences of using excessive force and falsifying reports.

“The Justice Department does not tolerate assault by correctional officers of the people they are charged with protecting,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The division works tirelessly to protect the civil rights of all citizens.”

“Corrections officers are sworn to protect those within our prison systems,” said Brandon J. Fremin U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana. “Those officers who carry out vicious attacks such as this strip citizens of their basic civil rights and dishonor the work of honest law enforcement officers. The sentences handed down today serve as an example of officials being held accountable for violations of the public trust that was placed in them.”

“Along with our partners, the FBI will aggressively investigate allegations wherein correctional officers abuse their position of power and authority over prisoners to deny them their constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran. “The FBI is appreciative of its partnerships with the Office of the State Inspector General, the Louisiana Department of Corrections and especially the Investigative Support Unit at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, to root out correctional officers who choose to break the law and physically abuse restrained inmates.”

“The rule of law suffers the most whenever those in positions of trust abuse that trust,” said Louisiana Inspector General Stephen Street. “This is especially true of corrections officers, who are given great power over inmates. Beating a handcuffed and shackled inmate, as these defendants did, is a clear violation of the law and the United States Constitution, and can never be tolerated. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to relentlessly pursue these cases whenever and wherever they may arise.”

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2020 WAFB. All rights reserved.