By Noah Feit
The State
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A woman working at a South Carolina jail was arrested for assaulting an inmate, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Johnette Pinckney-Martinez was charged with third-degree assault & battery and misconduct in office, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday in a news release.
Pinckney-Martinez was locked up at Columbia’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where she was working when the inmate was attacked, according to the release.
The sheriff’s department said it received a report Monday from an investigator at the jail about an assault that happened on the afternoon of July 15.
According to the jail investigator’s report, Pinckney-Martinez used force on an inmate, the sheriff’s department said. But Pinckney-Martinez’s account of the use of force did not match the accounts from other guards that were there, according to the release.
While reviewing body worn camera video, Pinckney-Martinez could be seen cornering an inmate and striking him several times in his face and head area with her Taser, causing the stun gun to break, the sheriff’s department said.
There was no word what led to the assault.
The inmate received injuries from the assault that required stitches, according to the release. Further information on the inmate’s condition, or why he’s being held at the jail, was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
Pinckney-Martinez was arrested Tuesday, a day after the sheriff’s department received the report. There was no word if she was fired from her job at the jail.
Information about Pinckney-Martinez’s bond was not available, but she’s currently listed on the jail’s inmate roster.
The jail is managed by the Richland County government, not the sheriff’s department.
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