A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, unsealed an indictment Monday charging former Crenshaw County Jail Administrator Christian Alexander Porter, 33, with assaulting a handcuffed, compliant inmate at Crenshaw County Jail. Porter is also accused of falsifying a report and lying to state and federal investigators.
The indictment alleges that on Oct. 12, 2021, Porter used unreasonable force on a pretrial detainee, violating the 14th Amendment, and falsified a use-of-force report to cover up the assault. Additionally, Porter is accused of making false statements to state investigators on Nov. 18, 2021, and to federal investigators on June 28, 2022.
If convicted, Porter faces up to 10 years in prison for the civil rights violation, 20 years for falsifying the report and lying to state investigators, and five years for making false statements to federal investigators.
The FBI Mobile Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Lia Rettammel of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.