By Susan Robertson
The Virginia Gazette
JAMES CITY — A corrections officer accused of choking a former inmate at Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail last summer is facing a felony strangulation charge, police say.
The former inmate, 38-year-old John E. Wright, wrote in a letter to the Gazette written prior to his release in September, that he was “attacked and brutally beaten by corrections officer Vincent Russell” in June. On Friday jail superintendent John Kuplinski defended Russell, noting that an internal investigation conducted by the jail’s assistant director of security determined no criminal act had occurred during the encounter with Wright.
“Our belief is that the use of force was justified,” Kuplinski said, noting that the jail did not contact police for that reason.
Russell, 42, of Newport News, was charged on July 10 with assault and battery in connection with the June 18 incident after Wright filed a criminal complaint, according to Stephanie Williams with James City police. She said upon further review of the case, Russell was also charged Tuesday with strangulation.
Williams said an inmate at the jail reported the assault around 5:30 a.m. that day. She said the pair exchanged words as Russell was escorting him down the hall. The man reported that Russell grabbed him, then forced him into a door jamb and threw him face down on the floor, Williams added.
Wright said Thursday in a phone interview that he was serving a 10-month sentence on a probation violation from narcotics conviction when the incident occurred.
“I got forced into an area off camera where I was choked and beaten up by an officer,” he said. “Then maced by another officer while I was on the ground.”
Wright reported that Russell grabbed his throat, choking him, according to Williams. She added that Wright stated he was punched in the eye and head.
Williams said photographs of Wright’s injuries show a cut in his hairline, a red and swollen area on his forehead and vertical, red lines on his neck.
Wright’s letter states he was placed in isolation for more than three weeks following the incident and not allowed to contact anyone. He said almost a month later he spoke via video with a magistrate in Richmond, who issued a warrant for the assault charge against Russell.
Kuplinski said standard operating procedure at the jail is for the internal affairs investigator or a supervisor to launch an internal investigation after an incident involving the use of force occurs. He said the jail’s use of force police mirrors that of the American Correctional Association.
A copy of the 2012 ACA policy is posted on the Excessive Discipline Protection Database, an online resource center for law enforcement officers. It states that use of force can include restraints, chemical agents, electronic devices and weapons. It also delineates under what circumstances force should be used and when it is considered justified.
“Force is justified only in instances of self-defense, protection of others, protection of property, prevention of escapes, and maintaining of regaining control, and then only as a last resort,” the policy states.
Kuplinski declined to discuss specifics of the June 18 incident or the details of the internal investigation, stating “this is a pending criminal case.” He added that officers are trained in use of force at the Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Academy.
“Captain Perry thought the use of force was justified,” he said. “She presented the facts to me and I had no reason to doubt or question her conclusions.”
Russell is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 30.