Pendleton corrections officer arrested for beating inmate

PENDLETON, Ind. — A correctional officer at Pendleton Correctional Facility was arrested Tuesday morning after he was filmed beating an inmate while trying to subdue him in the facility's infirmary.

According to court documents filed Tuesday, Shaunacy Edmonds, 34, a Muncie resident, was charged with one count of battery and one count of official misconduct.

On May 14, establishment staff took an inmate to the establishment's infirmary. Meanwhile, video of the incident allegedly showed staff members attempting to tie up the inmate to “possibly stop resisting staff.”

During attempts to subdue the inmate, the video allegedly showed Edmonds throwing “several blows to the facial area of ​​the (inmate) who no longer appeared to be resisting staff.”

“It was also noted that at one point, (Edmonds) kneed the (inmate),” the documents state. “(The inmate) was wearing a 'spit mask' and was restrained behind his back, seated in a chair, before the above occurred.”

All staff members were asked to complete a use of force report by their supervisors regarding the incident. The documents said there were “several discrepancies between what happened and what was reported by staff” regarding the incident caught on camera.

In the report provided by Edmonds, documents indicated the inmate was pulling against the restraints and trying to free himself, a claim that officials said was not supported by video review. Edmonds also said he struck his knee on the inmate's upper chest, where the video shows the knee striking the inmate's head.

Edmonds also said he hit the inmate three times in the head as the inmate tried to remove his restraints, another claim that was allegedly not supported by the video, according to the documents.

During an interview with the inmate, he said he kept threatening to spit or hurt staff while he was in the infirmary. The inmate then told detectives that Edmonds “dropped it on (his face). The inmate said the officer kept hitting him in the head with a closed fist and that he was also kneed.

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

“(The inmate) then stated that he feared the officer (referring to Edmonds) and stated that he was not angry at the other officers involved because they did not hit him,” the statement said. the documents. “(The inmate) said he didn’t mean any of the threats he made, he was just angry.”

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

In an interview with Edmonds, the documents said Edmonds continued to claim the inmate was trying to break out of the restraints. Edmonds clarified that “at no time did he see (the inmate's) hand move, but he stated that he 'knew' that (the inmate) was trying to remove the restraints.”

During the incident, Edmonds told detectives he did not hear anyone stop hitting the inmate. The documents state Edmonds asked another staff member if the way he approached the situation was wrong and the staff member allegedly told him “it could have been done a different way.”

“Due to several statements by Edmonds not matching the video, other staff interviews, offender interview, evidence, and video; Edmonds was placed under arrest and transported to the Madison County Jail following his interview,” documents state.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Corrections said they had no official statement on the matter.