4 Alabama Corrections Officers Indicted For Using Excessive Force

BIBB COUNTY, AL — A federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging four officers at the Alabama Department of Corrections with federal civil rights and obstruction of justice offenses. Sgt. Keith Finch and officers Jordan Thomas and Kevin Blaylock are charged with deprivation of rights under color of law, and Thomas and Sgt. Orlanda Walker are charged with obstruction of justice.

The indictment alleges that, on Sept. 12, 2018, Finch, Thomas, and Blaylock used excessive force to punish a prisoner who ran out of his cell in the Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent, Alabama. After two officers took the prisoner to the ground, the prisoner curled up in a fetal position and was surrounded by multiple officers.

Finch, Thomas, and Blaylock then reportedly kicked the prisoner and hit him multiple times with their batons. As a result of this use of force, the prisoner sustained bodily injury, the indictment alleges.

Thomas and Walker, are accused of obstructed justice by claiming in their report that “all force ceased” once the prisoner was on the ground.

If convicted, Finch, Thomas, and Blaylock face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the civil rights charges. Thomas and Walker face up to 20 years in prison for the obstruction charges. The officers also face a maximum of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.