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2 Fla. COs fired in jail abuse case

The Orlando Sentinel

OCALA, Fla. Two Marion County corrections officers were fired Tuesday after an investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse. A third corrections officer has resigned, authorities said.

David Tencza, 35; Beatriz Ayala, 32; and Timothy Lemmeyer, 33, faced an internal investigation after inmate Tommy Edwards said he was battered.

On Aug. 4, Ocala police arrested Edwards on charges of trespassing and possession of marijuana. During booking, he was belligerent to officers and reported the next morning that he had been beaten, deputies said.

Tencza resigned Monday after the investigation determined he had kicked Edwards two to five times without justification.

Lemmeyer and Ayala were fired for violation of code of conduct and dereliction of duty when they were not honest about the incident, sheriff’s Capt. James Pogue said.

Investigators had asked the corrections officers to provide a written account of the incident, and their statements conflicted.

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