Oklahoma Jail Guard Sentenced to 18 Months for Maliciously Tasering Detainee
Oklahoma Jail Guard Sentenced to 18 Months for Maliciously Tasering Detainee
A former guard at Oklahoma’s Bryant Count Jail (BCJ) has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for assaulting a detainee.
During a May 1, 2012 plea hearing, Kevin B. Holt, 48, admitted that as a Lieutenant at BCJ, he used a Taser to assault a detainee, violating the victim’s civil rights. Holt admitted that when he electrocuted the detainee, who was strapped into a restraining chair, he intentionally used unreasonable force. He, furthermore, admitted that his deployment of the Taser injured the detainee.
“Excessive force by officers sworn to respect and uphold the law undermines our criminal justice system,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The federal government is committed to prosecuting officers who abuse the authority entrusted to them.”
Holt must also complete 24 months of supervised release once released from prison.
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