The 400-bed Coffee County Jail is almost ready for occupancy in this photo from 2013.A former correctional officer accused of attacking an inmate in October in the Coffee County jail in Manchester, Tennessee, has been indicted on charges of aggravated assault.
Justin Blake Taylor, 26, of Tracy City, Tennessee, was hired in March 2017 as a corrections officer, Coffee County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Frank Watkins said.
Taylor was working as a correctional officer when he "attacked an inmate without any physical provocation," Watkins said this week. The altercation might have been over a verbal remark made by the inmate, who was not named.
"After the incident occurred, an investigation was conducted with evidence presented to the district attorney," a news release issued by Sheriff Chad Partin states. "After the internal investigation was concluded Mr. Taylor was terminated for violation of several departmental policies."
That evidence led to an indictment.
Taylor's termination was directly related to the allegations of assaulting an inmate, he said.
"We're not going to condone any misbehavior on the part of our employees, especially toward an inmate," Watkins said. "Those inmates are here under our care and we plan on keeping them safe not only from themselves but from employees who might want to do them harm. We're not going to tolerate that."
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.
The 400-bed Coffee County Jail is almost ready for occupancy in this photo from 2013.