BEAVER, W.Va. — A former West Virginia corrections officer admitted to taking part in a scheme that targeted inmates with excessive force and efforts to cover it up.
Michael Pack, who worked at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge tied to violating inmates’ civil rights, according to the Department of Justice.
Court documents show Pack and other officers used force as punishment, targeting inmates they believed had engaged in misconduct. In some cases, that included pretrial detainees, the DOJ said.
According to the plea agreement, the officers deliberately moved inmates to “blind spots” before assaulting them.
Pack also acknowledged that he and others falsified reports to hide the incidents, failing to document injuries and denying that force had been used. The goal, according to prosecutors, was to avoid scrutiny and accountability.
He entered the guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24.
Pack faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
