Former Hazelton correctional officers admit to violating prisoner’s civil rights
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Three former correctional officers at United States Penitentiary Hazleton in Preston County have pleaded guilty to charges relating to violating a prisoner's civil rights.
Robert David Sims, 42, of Bruceton Mills , pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury; Joshua David Sines, 39, of Friendsville, Maryland , pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit an alteration and falsification of records; and Josiah Dandue Redd, 36, of Morgantown, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal agent and accessory after the fact to an assault by striking, beating, or wounding, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sims repeatedly struck an inmate in the face, head, arms and torso during a strip search, causing significant injuries. Sines then falsified reports on the incident to protect himself and Sims from disciplinary action or prosecution, and Redd falsified reports and statements to agents about the incident to protect Sims and Sines.
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All three men have resigned from their positions as correctional officers and cannot ever be employed by the U.S. Department of Justice or "any private prison or community corrections center that contracts to house federal prisoners."
"The defendants abused their powers as correctional officers and now they will be held to account," U.S. Attorney Williams Ihlenfeld said in the release. "The U.S. Attorney's Office will continue to prosecute officers who misuse their authority and violate the rights of people in their custody."
Sims faces up to 10 years in federal prison; Sines is facing up to five years; and Redd faces up to five years for the false statement charge and up to six months for the accessory charge.
Photos of Sines and Redd were not available as of publication.
