Youth worker sentenced to three years
ASHLAND A former youth worker for the Department of Juvenile Justice was sentenced to three years in federal prison this week after pleading guilty to violating the rights of a 15-year-old detainee by breaking the juvenile's arm.
As reported, Nathaniel Lumpkins, 33, of West Liberty, was previously employed at Woodsbend Youth Development Center in Morgan County prior to his August 2023 indictment in U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky.
The indictment alleged Lumpkins used excessive force while improperly restraining a juvenile detainee, resulting in "buckle fractures" to the minor's arm.
As a result of the incident, Lumpkins was indicted on charges of depriving civil rights under the color of law and falsifying records in a federal investigation, however the latter of the two was dismissed through a plea agreement.
U.S. prosecutors requested Lumpkins spend upwards of six years imprisoned, arguing the sentence was "vital to deter those similarly situated from committing the same offenses."
Lumpkins's attorney argued the six-year sentence suggestion was "unconscionably high given both the nature of the offense and the nature of the defendant."
Per final sentencing documents, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning sentenced Lumpkins to 36 months of imprisonment followed by two years of supervision.
