ALABAMA – An Alabama criminal investigator plead guilty Friday to assaulting a handcuffed man at a Macon County jail, officials said.
J. Keith McCray, a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court today to assaulting a handcuffed man at the county jail, resulting in bodily injury to the victim.
“The defendant attacked an innocent citizen who was simply trying to earn a living on the day of the incident,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “When he assaulted the defenseless victim, he violated the trust put in him by the community as well as the law. The Department will continue to hold accountable those who abuse their authority.”
At sentencing, McCray faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials said.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation
According to an indictment, McCray, 41, violated the civil rights of a door-to-door salesman who was selling alarm systems in McCray’s Tuskegee, Alabama neighborhood on July 13, 2013.
At the plea hearing, McCray admitted that he arrested the salesman and took him to the Macon County Jail. There, officials said McCray struck the victim four times in the face and head while the victim was handcuffed and posed no threat.
McCray pleaded guilty to one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
“While we look to law enforcement to maintain the safety and security of our citizens, their position of authority does not give them the right to act outside the bounds of the law,” said U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.