GEORGIA
Former federal prison Lt. Gregory McLeod, 44, of Atlanta, who plead guilty last week to abusing an inmate by punching him in his face for no reason will be sentenced next year, according to authorities.
McLeod also admitted that he intentionally obstructed a federal investigation into the matter by writing a false incident report.
U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones will sentence McLeod on Feb. 20.
“A correctional officer should never resort to violence or violate an inmate’s constitutional right to protection from unreasonable force, no matter the circumstance,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate any abuse of an individual’s civil rights under the law, or any effort to obstruct justice.”
“Working in a correctional facility is stressful and often dangerous work,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “However, McLeod made an unnecessary and unconstitutional assault on an inmate, and then filed a false report to cover it up. An abuse of the power by any law enforcement officer is unacceptable.”
According to the evidence, McLeod, who worked as a supervisor at the prison, strip-searched an inmate in the lieutenants’ office in front of three other correctional officers.
McLeod admitted that after the inmate complained that the strip-search was taking too long, he punched the inmate in his face without justification.
McLeod also admitted that after the assault, he wrote an incident report and a separate memorandum about the encounter in which McLeod falsely claimed that the inmate swung a closed fist at him and attempted to assault other officers before the inmate was restrained.