By Grethel Aguila
Miami Herald
MIAMI — Several prison guards and supervisors accused of being involved in the brutal beating of a handcuffed inmate at Dade Correctional Institution, a state prison in South Miami -Dade, will have to serve a house arrest sentence followed by probation — after striking plea agreements with prosecutors.
Shentrica Jones Clark, 41, pleaded no contest on Monday and received a withhold of adjudication, meaning no criminal conviction will appear on her record. Clark was charged with tampering with evidence, a felony, in connection to the April 5, 2025, beating of Christopher Castro, 31.
Clark will have to service six months of community control, which is like house arrest, followed by six months of probation.
Also sentenced were D’Andre Hill, 26, Travon Norman, 31, Richard Jackson, 33, Jochen Anglin, 33, Jordy Calero, 25, and Freddie Morgan, 36. The six corrections officers in late September pleaded no contest to several charges, including perjury, failure to report use of force and battery on a detainee, which are all misdemeanors.
As a result of the plea deal, the former officers also received a withhold of adjudication, court records show. They were also ordered to give up their criminal justice certifications and must complete 50 hours of community service, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said.
Cover-up of inmate beating?
At around 9:30 p.m., Clark, a lieutenant, ordered the officers to escort Christopher Castro, 31, to her office at the Dade Correctional Institution, which is south of Florida City, according to court records. Castro is serving a 15-year sentence for a burglary and robbery case in Hillsborough County. His release date is set for 2032.
Castro assumed Clark wanted to speak to him about an incident earlier that day in which Castro was accused of threatening an officer with a knife, according to an arrest warrant. Castro was taken to an area near Clark’s office — away from surveillance cameras.
The officers put Castro in a holding cell, where he was kicked and punched in the face, head and back while his arms were handcuffed, the warrant says. Castro “had significant facial bruising, bleeding, and scratches” and requested emergency medical attention, but was denied care.
After a shift change around midnight, another lieutenant noticed Castro’s injuries, contacted the warden and took him to the medical unit for treatment, according to the warrant.
The warden told investigators Clark had told her Castro was “rowdy” and may have a weapon. The warden told Clark to contact Anglin, who was a captain, to facilitate a strip search, the warrant states.
Clark, the warden said, later called and said Castro didn’t have a weapon. She said Castro claimed to have a headache and needed medical attention for a “little knot” on his head, according to the warrant.
But after the warden saw photos of Castro’s injuries, she said she noticed Clark’s description was “egregiously false,” the warrant states.
The following day, a detective with the Florida Department of Corrections’ Inspector General examined the holding cell and spotted blood smear and spatter. The detective noted in the warrant that it appeared someone had recently cleaned the cell — but DNA swabs of the blood matched Castro.
Hill, Jackson and Morgan, who were sergeants, and ex-officers Calero and Norman, were accused of participating in Castro’s beating. The officers and supervisors were interviewed, according to the warrant, and denied using force on Castro.
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