By Nakayla McClelland
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three inmates face federal charges after they allegedly beat a Doña Ana County Detention Center corrections officer and used the officer’s stun gun on him, officials announced Wednesday.
Juan Gabriel Torres, Sergio Seanez and Josiah McGaw Bulger are charged with assault involving a dangerous weapon and infliction of bodily injury on a person assisting officers of the United States. If convicted, all three men face up to 20 years in prison.
On May 11, a corrections officer at the Doña Ana County jail entered a pod to do an inspection, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
The officer, whom court records identified as John Doe, walked up to the top level of the pod around 10 p.m. to check on six inmates who were supposed to be locked in their cells. The list included one federal inmate the officer had to monitor on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service, the complaint states.
When the officer arrived, he saw Torres, Seanez and Bulger standing at the top of the staircase, even though they were not allowed on the second floor, according to the complaint.
“The instant John Doe reaches the top of the stairs, Torres lunges at John Doe and tries to punch him,” the complaint states. “John Doe then ducks down to defend himself and grabs Torres near the waist and begins to push him backward.”
Seanez and Bulger grabbed the corrections officer and punched him before throwing him to the ground, according to the complaint. Bulger stomped on his head and neck an estimated 15 times, holding a rail for “additional leverage” as he continuously kicked the man.
The group allegedly beat the officer around 30 times in less than 22 seconds as he lay unconscious, the complaint states.
“Near the end of this violent assault, while John Doe’s unconscious and motionless body is lying on the floor, Torres unholsters John Doe’s Taser and then tases his unconscious body,” according to the complaint.
At some point, other guards entered the pod to stop the assault, the complaint states. The corrections officer was taken to a hospital and regained consciousness sometime later.
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