Prison News in Brief: Florida through Maine
Florida Prison News
On July 29, 2013, Richard Stotts, 48, was fired from his job as a Pinellas County detention deputy. Stotts was working in the booking area of the jail on May 8 when he abruptly smacked prisoner David Allan Koons on the head and neck, eventually pinning him to the ground. The incident was recorded on surveillance video. Stotts had been the subject of previous investigations into improper conduct involving Pinellas County prisoners; he was charged with assaulting Koons, because Koons declined to cooperate with investigators. This was the third time in less than a year that a Pinellas County jail guard was fired for using excessive force.
Illinois Prison News
An August 8, 2013 road rage incident resulted in murder charges being filed against a Cook County jail guard. Police say 23-year-old Montrel Moss threw a cup of water that hit a van being driven by jail guard Edgar Singleton, Jr. Singleton retaliated by shooting Moss in the neck with a 9mm handgun; Moss was pronounced dead a short time later. According to a statement from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Singleton was subsequently de-deputized and fired.
Indiana Prison News
A report filed by Marion County jailers stated that on August 1, 2013, an unidentified 24-year-old Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) worker flashed her official ID to gain access to the Marion County Arrestee Processing Center in order to get some “alone time” with a prisoner. The female DCS employee was escorted to a meeting room where Marion County jail staff said they saw her and the prisoner engage in unauthorized physical contact, including touching and holding hands. Upon questioning, the DCS worker admitted she had no official business at the Marion County jail; her badge was confiscated and she was ordered to leave. No criminal charges were filed, but she was fired in connection with the incident.
