Pendleton correctional officer arrested for mistreating inmate

PENDLETON, Ind. – A correctional officer at Pendleton Correctional Facility was arrested Tuesday morning after he was reportedly caught on video hitting an inmate and attempting to restrain him in the facility’s infirmary.

Court documents filed Tuesday show that 34-year-old Shaunacy Edmonds, a Muncie resident, has been charged with assault and abuse of office.

On May 14, facility staff brought an inmate into the facility’s infirmary. During that time, video of the incident reportedly showed staff attempting to restrain the inmate in an attempt to “possibly discourage resistance from staff.”

While attempting to subdue the inmate, the video allegedly shows Edmonds “punching him several times in the face, after which he apparently stopped resisting staff.”

“It was also noted that (Edmonds) kneed (the inmate) once,” the documents state. “(The inmate) was wearing a ‘spit mask’ and was handcuffed behind his back while sitting in a chair prior to the above occurring.”

All employees were asked by their supervisors to fill out a use of force report related to the incident. The documents state that there were “several discrepancies regarding what occurred and what was reported by employees” related to the videotaped incident.

The report submitted by Edmonds states that the inmate tugged at the restraints and tried to free himself, but officials said that was not confirmed by the video recordings. Edmonds also said he struck the inmate in the chest with his knee, with the video showing that the knee struck the inmate in the head.

Edmonds also testified that he struck the inmate three times in the head as he tried to free himself from his restraints, another claim that was not supported by the video, according to the documents.

In an interview with the inmate, he said he continually threatened to spit on or hurt staff while in the infirmary. The inmate then told investigators that Edmonds “dropped him on his face.” The inmate said the officer repeatedly hit him in the head with a clenched fist and also kicked him with his knee.

The inmate said that while this was happening, a woman in the room allegedly said, “No, stop hitting him like that,” referring to the alleged actions toward the inmate.

“(The inmate) then said he was afraid of the officer (meaning Edmonds) and stated he was not angry at the other officers involved because they did not hit him,” the documents state. “(The inmate) said he did not mean any of the threats he made, he was simply angry.”

Investigators interviewed several other witnesses to the reported incident. According to the documents, there were varying accounts of what happened given by different employees at the Pendleton Correctional Facility.

In an interview with Edmonds, the documents state that Edmonds continued to claim that the inmate was attempting to break free from the restraints. Edmonds clarified that he “did not see the inmate’s hand move at any time, but said he ‘knew’ that (the inmate) was attempting to break free from the restraints.”

During the incident, Edmonds told investigators he did not hear anyone telling him to hit the inmate. The documents state that Edmonds asked another employee if what he was doing was wrong and the employee allegedly told him “it could have been done differently.”

“Because several statements made by Edmonds were inconsistent with the video, interviews with other employees, interview with the perpetrator, evidence and video, Edmonds was arrested and transported to the Madison County Jail after questioning,” the documents state.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Correction said there was no official statement on the matter.