Feds Indict Cheatham County Jailers For Tasing Restrained Inmate

ASHLAND CITY, TN -- A federal grand jury indicted a current and former Cheatham County jail guard on civil rights and obstruction of justice charges connected to a November 2016 incident in which an inmate was tased while in restraints. Surveillance footage of the incident spread across the Internet, sparking outrage.

Former Corp. Mark Bryant is charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of obstruction of justice. Sgt. Gary Ola, who is still employed by the sheriff's department, is charged with two counts of making false statements to federal investigators. Both men were arrested Tuesday.

The indictment alleges on November 5, 2016, Bryant used unlawful force on 18-year-old Jordan Norris, once using a Taser to stun him four times for 50 seconds while he was restrained. Later that night, according to the indictment, Bryant again tased Norris, this time for 11 seconds while he handcuffed. The indictment alleges Bryant also filed false reports about the incidents.

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The indictment against Ola alleges his lied to investigators twice as they investigated the incident. In August 2017, he allegedly told both FBI and TBI agents he walked away and did not see the Taser cycles while Norris was restrained. In May 2018, he allegedly told the FBI that he did not see Bryant tase Norris while he was in handcuffs.

Bryant faces 10 years in prison on the civil rights charges and 20 years on the obstruction charges. Ola faces a maximum sentence of five years.

In July 2017, Norris filed a federal civil suit against Bryant and two other deputies. Bryant also faces state assault and official misconduct charges.

On the recording of the encounter (which may be disturbing to some viewers), a person can be heard laughing and saying ""G------ that kid is being lit up!" and Bryant can be heard telling a restrained Norris to stop resisting.

The taser was applied to Norris on at least three more occasions over the next hour before he was taken to the hospital in a patrol car before being transferred to a mental-health facility, where he remained until he returned to the jail 10 days later

On November 5, Sheriff Mike Breedlove posted on the department's Facebook page that Norris was "shocked with awe" and "peed a little bit."

Breedlove told News Channel 5 the Facebook page is meant to provide humorous takes on the week's arrests and his message was not intended as a taunt of Norris.

Though he declined an on-camera interview with the station, he said Norris was "strong and out of control" and that, following procedure, his deputies used "dry stunning" — a Taser technique that uses lower voltage and doesn't employ the device's prongs.

Initially, Breedlove said that Norris was "flinching" and not fully restrained, but later, after watching the full video, placed the deputies on administrative leave and requested an investigation by the district attorney and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Photo via Tennessee Bureau of Investigation