Columbiana County Jail corrections officers accused of excessive force, facing charges
LISBON, Ohio (WKBN) – Two corrections officers at the Columbiana County Jail are facing charges related to excessive force allegations.
In two of the instances, inmates were sent to the hospital with injuries.
David James Ferguson-Grantz, 26, was charged with two counts of assault for incidents on Sept. 18 and Set. 24.
Clint Reynolds, Jr., 26, is charged with assault for an incident on Oct. 3.
According to a report from the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office, an investigation began after Salem's police chief reported that an inmate they arrested on a felonious assault charge was injured after arriving at the county jail. He said a corrections officer, later identified as Ferguson-Grantz, slammed the man to the floor, causing an injury to his face. The inmate had to go to the hospital as jail medical staff would not accept him into the jail until he was medically cleared, the report stated.
The inmate later told investigators that he was knocked unconscious when he hit the floor, and he had a black eye and a tooth that went into his upper lip.
The report indicates that on Sept. 24, Ferguson-Grantz was involved in another incident with another inmate, which required the inmate to go to the hospital.
The inmate was in the gym of the jail when he and another inmate got into a confrontation over hair clippers.
Video from surveillance cameras showed Ferguson-Grantz grabbing the inmate's shirt to pull him away, ripping it off, and then escorting him for lockdown at which time he pushed the inmate against a window and dragged him into the lockdown area, the report stated.
The report says Ferguson-Grantz then pushed the inmate up some steps, causing him to land on his face, and he then pushed the inmates legs up to his head, before jumping on him. According to the report, he then picked the inmate up by his arms and slammed him onto the officer's desk before taking him into a cell.
The report also mentions an incident on Oct. 2 with the same inmate who had been involved in the first use-of-force investigation. The report states that Ferguson-Grantz grabbed the inmate by the throat and slammed his head against the wall.
The other corrections officer, Reynolds, was charged after an inmate who was released from the jail reported that Reynolds pushed him.
The inmate said while he was being released from the jail, he discovered that his wedding ring had been cut into three pieces. He said he was upset that the ring was damaged, so he refused to sign the property release or leave the jail until he could speak to a supervisor.
He said at that time Reynolds arrived and told him that he needed to leave. He said after initially refusing, he then moved into a vestibule and was picking up his belongings that had been placed on the floor when Reynolds pushed him from behind, causing him to lose balance.
According to the report from the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office, reports from other corrections officers indicated that the inmate had attempted to hit Reynolds in the stomach, but a review of jail cameras did not show the inmate hitting or attempting to hit Reynolds.
Further interviews with the corrections officers gave conflicting information, the report stated.
The Columbiana County Jail is operated by Correctional Solutions Group. The firm was hired by commissioners to take over jail operations in 2019.
WKBN reached out to CSG for more information on the incidents and officers' employment statuses but hasn't heard back.
Ferguson-Grantz and Reynolds were arraigned Thursday, and they were released on bond. They are set to appear again in Columbiana Municipal Court later this month.
