JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Six men have been indicted in a Tennessee inmate's death.
A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statement says a Washington County grand jury returned indictments Thursday charging the men in Joseph Lockner's death.
The Johnson City Press reports a detention officer found the 29-year-old unresponsive on a bathroom floor Dec. 17 after hearing commotion. Lockner later died as a result of his injuries.
The statement says authorities developed information that six inmates conspired to carry out the assault. It says five of them were Lockner's cellmates.
Forty-year-old Glendon Wilkerson, 43-year-old Steve Necessary, a 38-year-old and 23-year-olds John Woodard, Wesley Clouse and Cody Albu were charged with offenses, including aggravated assault resulting in death. It's unclear if they have lawyers who could comment.
Court records show Lockner was convicted of simple possession of methamphetamine in October.