Guard sprayed inmates with chemicals — and beat them with the can in Alabama, feds say
A former prison guard is accused of civil rights violations over how he sprayed inmates with chemicals and beat them with the spray can during two separate attacks in northern Alabama, federal prosecutors said.
Mohammad Shahid Jenkins, a former lieutenant at the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County, also tried misleading FBI agents when asked about the more recent, February 2022 beating, according to prosecutors.
Now he’s facing charges in connection with using excessive force during the attacks that injured the two inmates, the Justice Department announced in a Feb. 7 news release. He’s also facing charges related to obstruction of justice.
Information regarding Jenkins’ legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
The case dates back to Nov. 29, 2021, when Jenkins repeatedly sprayed an inmate, identified only as “D.H.,” with chemical spray and also hit him with the can, prosecutors said. Jenkins also struck the inmate with his hand, an indictment says.
Months later, Jenkins attacked another inmate, identified as “V.R.,” by kicking, hitting and spraying him with the chemical spray on Feb. 16, 2022, according to prosecutors.
He also beat V.R. with the can of chemicals and hit him with a shoe, prosecutors said.
Afterward, Jenkins lied about the details of this attack in his written incident report, according to the release.
Specifically, he left out how he had escorted the inmate from the prison’s dining hall to the gym where he is accused of attacking him, the indictment says.
Jenkins is also accused of trying to mislead FBI agents with statements he provided about the matter, according to the indictment.
The indictment shows he’s facing two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of falsification of records and one count of obstruction of justice.
It’s unclear when Jenkins’ time as lieutenant at Donaldson Correctional Facility came to an end.
McClatchy News contacted the Alabama Department of Corrections for more information on Feb. 7.
The case against Jenkins is being prosecuted in the Northern District of Alabama. If he’s convicted, he would face up to 10 years in prison for each excessive force charge and up to 20 years on the obstruction charge.
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