Indiana correctional officer sentenced for mistreatment of inmate

A former Indiana Department of Correction sergeant is facing five months in federal prison for using excessive force after he slammed and repeatedly hit a handcuffed inmate.

Former Pendleton Correctional Facility Sgt. Shaunacy Edmonds, 35, of Muncie, pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law earlier this year. On Monday, Southern District of Indiana Judge James Sweeney sentenced Edmonds to five months in federal prison and two years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Edmonds slammed a handcuffed inmate into the ground, directly on his head. Edmonds then drove his knee into the inmate’s head and repeatedly punched the inmate in the head.

“When a corrections officer takes the law into their own hands and inflicts punitive, excessive force on an inmate, they don’t just endanger that individual, they undermine the safety and integrity of the entire facility,” said Tom Wheeler, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in a press release. “This kind of conduct escalates tension, encourages resistance rather than cooperation, and puts fellow officers at greater risk.”

Edmonds’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Edmonds has acknowledged that slamming the handcuffed inmate onto his head was unjustified and inconsistent with departmental training.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, citing court documents, Edmonds had been employed as a sergeant and correctional officer at Pendleton Correctional Facility, a level-three maximum security state prison in Pendleton, since August 2020.

On March 14, 2024, an inmate identified as E.C. was removed from his cell after he made a homemade noose and attempted to harm himself.

The IDOC Quick Response Team moved E.C. to the prison infirmary for evaluation, per department protocol. A visibly agitated E.C. was put into a chair so nurses could safely assess him.

E.C., who was handcuffed, threatened to spit on officers, so Edmonds put a spit mask over his face.

Surveillance evidence then showed that after E.C. turned his head to speak to Edmonds, Edmonds lifted E.C. and slammed him onto the floor, directly on his head. Edmonds then struck E.C. on the head with his knee and his fist.

A lieutenant eventually intervened, blocking Edmonds’ hand and ordering him to stop.

E.C. suffered a swollen lip and a cut on his forehead.

After Edmonds submitted his incident report, a supervisory officer escorted him out of the facility, and he was subsequently terminated.

“Sgt. Edmonds’ actions were not only reckless and cruel, but a blatant betrayal of IDOC training and standards,” Wheeler said. “This sentence sends a clear message: such abuse of authority will not be tolerated.”