Oklahoma prison guard accused of assaulting inmate; four others accused of covering it up

McALESTER — A lieutenant at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary violently assaulted a shackled inmate in June, and he and four other guards then covered it up, a prosecutor alleged in felony charges Monday.

All five have been suspended with pay, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said. They could face further discipline.

Lt. William Graham struck the inmate on June 16 in a hallway of the penitentiary's medical unit as four other corrections officers escorted the inmate to the emergency room, an investigator reported in a court affidavit.

The inmate, Kentrell Campbell, was taken to the medical unit for evaluation after stabbing another inmate, according to the affidavit. Campbell at the time was "in restraints behind his back" and his legs had been shackled.

Campbell reported on June 24 that he had been physically beaten, the Department of Corrections investigator wrote in the affidavit. Surveillance video obtained on June 29 appears to show Graham striking someone off camera approximately three times.

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The lieutenant "denied all allegations" during a June 29 interview, the investigator wrote. He admitted after being shown the surveillance video "that it looked like he was striking inmate CAMPBELL ... but claimed he did not remember doing so."

Graham, 35, was charged with two felonies, aggravated assault and battery, and offering false evidence. He also was charged with a misdemeanor, obstructing an officer. He could not be reached for comment

Also charged with offering false evidence and obstructing an officer were Sgt. Michael Boswell, 26; Sgt. Richard Holloway, 31; Sgt. Stanley Rogers, 59; and Officer Dylan Aragon, 28.

All four have admitted seeing the lieutenant hit the inmate, the investigator wrote in affidavits filed in their cases. Rogers remembered observing Graham strike the inmate "several times" with closed fists.

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All four are accused of failing to include any information about the beating in their written incident reports. Boswell, Holloway and Rogers also initially lied when interviewed about it, the investigator wrote in the affidavits.

Pittsburg County District Attorney Chuck Sullivan signed the charges himself.

The struck inmate, Campbell, 21, has been moved to another prison. He has not been charged in the stabbing because the other inmate refused to cooperate.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma prison guard accused of assaulting shackled inmate