ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (AP) - A former corrections officer at a Tennessee jail accused of repeatedly using a stun gun on a restrained detainee has been convicted of using unnecessary force.
The federal jury returned the verdict Friday for Mark Bryant, 41, a former Cheatham County Sheriff's Office corrections officer, news outlets reported.
Jurors convicted him on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and acquitted him on two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of lying to the FBI.
An indictment accused Bryant of using a stun gun on an 18-year-old four times for a total of about 50 seconds while the detainee was in a restraint chair. It also accused him of submitting false reports about the incident and lying to federal authorities.
The verdict came nearly a year after Bryant's first federal trial ended with a hung jury. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
"Correctional officers who use unlawful force and cause bodily injury to detainees will be held accountable for their illegal actions," Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said in a news release issued Monday.
Bryant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each charge.