Two former Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) officers are in legal trouble after allegedly assaulting an inmate and attempting to hide the evidence.
“The Department of Justice announced that Javian Griffin, 36, and Sebron Hollands, 32, two former tactical officers with the Strike Force for the Tennessee Department of Corrections, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee,” according to a DOJ press release. “Griffin is charged with using unlawful force against an inmate at Northwest Correctional Complex. Griffin and Hollands are both charged with obstruction of justice for writing false reports about Griffin’s assault.”
The unlawful use of force charge carries with it a maximum of 10 years in prison. The alleged fraud via writing a false report carries with it a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Memphis handled the investigation into the two former guards.
TDOC did not return a comment request about the indictments.
The episode is another in a string of mishaps for TDOC.
Two weeks ago, two women escaped from a TDOC release center in Chattanooga. Release centers are prison programs meant to help inmates begin to readjust before finishing their sentences and reintegrating into society.
Both women were serving the rest of their sentences in the release center, and were scheduled for release in 2023.
The women were eventually captured in South Nashville, and face additional charges for absconding.
In February, three men escaped through an HVAC air vent at the Sullivan County Jail, and were on the lam for several days.
Two of the men were later found dead in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the third was recaptured in North Carolina. The circumstances of the deaths of the escapees has not been released.
In May, Michael Vernon White, a TDOC prison guard at DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Northwest Correctional Complex” by TN.gov.
