LCSO correctional officer arrested for battery on an inmate

January 5, 2017

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- Thursday, Leon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Corrections Sergeant Derrick Adams for Battery stemming from a use of force incident inside the Leon County Jail.

Adams, an employee with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office since 2004, was arrested and fired from the Sheriff's Office.

According to LCSO, on January 2, an inmate at the Leon County Jail was observed by officers demonstrating irrational behavior. In an effort to prevent the inmate from harming himself, an officer escorted the inmate to the medical unit to be secured in an approved restraint chair. The inmate then spit on Adams on the left side of his face. Adams then grabbed the inmate by the shirt and pushed him against a wall stating, “You got a problem?” The inmate was held there until he was properly secured in the restraint chair. During the incident, officers went to get a “spit mask” and provided it to Adams. Adams stated that he was not going to use the spit mask, that if the inmate spit again he would just tase him. While the nurse was checking the chair restraints, the inmate spit on the nurse. At that point, instead of applying a spit mask, as is standard protocol, Adams removed his taser and pointed it at the inmate. Adams was heard telling the inmate, who was fully restrained, to “do it again” several times. The inmate spit in the direction of Adams, who then activated his taser. The probes were shot into the inmate’s chest while he was fully restrained in the restraint chair. A spit mask was then placed over the inmate's face.

Sheriff Walt McNeil said, “The care and custody of inmates, in the Leon County Jail, is a primary responsibility of this office. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office takes this charge seriously and does this on a daily basis. When an incident like this happens it tarnishes the great work these men and women do every day. However, this type of behavior will not be tolerated from our employees.”

"We're not in the business of punishing individuals that are on pre-trial, that's not our job," says LCSO Spokesman Lt. Grady Jordan. "Our job is to care for them, try to control them, and keep them in custody."

A majority of the inmates the Leon County Jail are pre-trial, and have not been convicted of a crime.