LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Two former Kentucky correctional officers have been sentenced for their roles in the beating of a handcuffed inmate and an attempt to cover up the assault, authorities said.
David M. Schwartz, 48, and Donna K. Gentry, 55, pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a pretrial detainee, writing false reports and obstructing justice, for their roles in the 2018 assault of an inmate at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
A federal judge sentenced Schwartz on Thursday to 24 months of incarceration and Gentry to eight months of home confinement, according to statement from the Department of Justice.
Another officer charged in the incident, Devan Edwards, pleaded guilty to assault and failing to intervene and will be sentenced March 5.
Court documents say Schwartz punched an inmate in the face while the inmate had his hands cuffed and posed no threat, then wrote a false report that omitted the use of force.
When Gentry learned that Schwartz and Edwards had assaulted the detainee and that Edwards had accidentally turned on his body camera and recorded part it, she wrote and filed a report that omitted the assault, authorities said. She then directed Edwards to provide the same false information.
“These officers violated their oath to defend the laws of our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will vigorously seek to uphold the constitutional rights of inmates and will hold our correctional officers accountable for their actions.”
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