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News in Brief:

Florida: On October 7, 2008, Dade County circuit court Judge Maria Espinosa Dennis accused fellow judge David Miller of assaulting her when he attempted to use the fax machine in her chambers. Dennis told police that Miller had “grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her toward her office in an attempt to close the door behind them.” The Dade county State Attorney’s office refused to file charges in the case. Prosecutors denied they were showing Miller favoritism because he is a judge. Miller was reassigned to family court in 2009.

Georgia: On April 23, 2009, Fulton county jail guards Lt. Robert Hill, 46 and Lt. Earl Glenn, 47, were arrested by FBI agents and charged in federal court with violating the civil rights of a prisoner; obstructing justice; filing a false report and making false statements to federal agents. The charges stem from the unprovoked beating of an unidentified jail prisoner on August 9, 2008.

Kansas: On April 27, 2009, Jacob Roscoe, a former recreation specialist at the US Penitentiary in Leavenworth was sentenced to 366 days in prison for accepting a $1,400 bribe to bring marijuana and jewelry into the prison.

Louisiana: on April 28, 2009, Angelo Vickers, 47, a guard at the juvenile detention center in Houma, was charged with sexually abusing two female prisoners in the facility, a 15 and a 16 year old girl. In exchange for sex, Vickers would give the girls snacks and telephone access.

New York: On April 26, 2009, Frederick Velez, 40, a prisoner at the Oneida Correctional Facility was stabbed to death by another prisoner, Jose Rodriguez, 55, during a fight. The reasons for the dispute were not reported in the media.

North Carolina: On April 20, 2009, Jeffrey Miles, 27, a prisoner who escaped from the Swain County Detention Center in March was captured in Vallejo, California. Also captured with him was Anita Vestal, 32, the jail guard who helped him escape while he was awaiting trial on double murder charges.

Tennessee: On April 22, 2009, Dawn Heading, 25, a former guard at the Elizabethton county jail was sentenced to 18 months probation after pleading guilty to five counts of sexual contact with jail trusty Phillip Greenwell. Greenwell was transferred to a state prison and lost good time credits for his role in the affair.

Texas: On April 27, 2009, thirty prisoners at the Texas Youth commission prison in Crockett held a protest on top of the prison’s gymnasium for several hours. Since the prison did not return media phone calls and reporters had no access to prisoners the reason(s) for the protest were not disclosed.

Texas: On June 19, 2008, Brown county jail guards Jason Behler, 21, Josh Crowder, 19 and Anthony Spivey, 37, were fired for allegedly giving jail prisoners cell phones and snuff.

Texas: On June 2, 2008, a Harris county jury acquitted Pasadena policemen Jason Buckaloo, 33, and Christopher Jones, 30, of criminally negligent homicide for their role in beating jail prisoner Pedro Gonzales, 51, to death. When they arrested Gonzales on July 21, 2007, they hit him with their knees and elbows, breaking eight of his ribs. Gonzales later died in his cell when his chest cavity filled with blood and he suffocated. The jury verdict indicated the jury did not believe the police were responsible for Gonzales’s death.

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