KOKOMO, Ind. — An internal investigation at the Howard County Jail led to a corrections officer being charged for using excessive force against an inmate and, authorities say, this isn't the first time.
Corrections officer Colin Byrd, 22, has been charged with felony battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.
The investigation began Jan. 3, when a female inmate submitted a complaint to the Howard County Sheriff's Office that claimed she was battered by a corrections officer. That complaint was forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for review.
Investigators said the inmate was arrested for an OWI. While behind bars, she started yelling expletives at the officers and "engaging in tumultuous behavior," the sheriff's office said, including destroying property.
Officers decided to remove the inmate from her cell and move her to a new cell where she would be put in a restraint to prevent injury.
Byrd was escorting the handcuffed inmate to a new cell when he suddenly leg-swept the woman, taking her to the floor. The woman had a laceration above her right eye that required emergency medical attention.
Investigators said this action, along with a prior incident in which Byrd used excessive force, was "seemingly without purpose or just cause."
Authorities didn't give further details about the previous use-of-force incident, except saying that it was a similar use-of-force incident and he had been disciplined for it.
Byrd told investigators the woman pushed into him while they were standing by the cell and that he thought he was going to lose control of his positioning. He said that's why he swept the woman's leg and put her face-down on the floor. He later told investigators he could have handled the situation differently and that he didn’t mean to take her to the ground so hard.
Investigators concluded that the woman was in handcuffs with her hands behind her back, and she was being escorted in a secured facility with "no chance of escape." Therefore, the risk to Byrd's safety was minimal.
On the other hand, the woman had to be taken to the hospital for traumatic injuries to her face.
The investigation was reviewed by the prosecutor's office, which charged Byrd on Friday with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury. He had his first court appearance Friday.