The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced that former Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Sergeant Ulysses Oliver, Jr. pleaded guilty earlier the same day in federal court to assaulting two handcuffed inmates, one of whom was a juvenile at the time of the incident, at ADOC’s Elmore Correctional Facility.
A DOJ press release outlined that according to the guilty plea, Oliver, 44, went to an observation room holding the two inmates, who were both handcuffed and sitting quietly.
The release described what happened next as follows:
Oliver pulled the first victim from the observation room into an adjacent hallway, where he struck the victim multiple times with his fists and feet, and then used his collapsible baton to strike the victim approximately 19 times. After assaulting the first victim, Oliver returned to the observation room and pulled the second victim into the hallway. Oliver kicked the second victim and used his baton to strike the victim approximately 10 times. During the assaults, the victims were handcuffed, and were not resisting or posing a threat. After, Oliver returned to the observation room where the victims were held and shoved the tip of his baton into the face of one of the victims, lacerating the victim’s face.
Later, Oliver wrote a false written report concerning the assaults, stating that he only struck the victims on their legs with his baton, when he actually struck the victims about their bodies, and also hit the victims with his hands and feet. Oliver’s report also falsely stated that he struck the victims until he was told by another officer to stop, when in truth the other officer had not ordered Oliver to stop.
Oliver faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the DOJ’s civil rights division released a statement emphasizing, “Any abuse of power and use of violence by a correctional officer will not be tolerated.”
Law enforcement officials in Alabama concurred.
“Correctional officers have an incredibly difficult job,” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Louis V. Franklin, Sr. said in a statement. “Although a vast majority of them serve with honor, valor, and bravery, cases like this make their jobs more challenging and dangerous. When officers abandon their oath to protect and serve, and engage in conduct that is criminal, they too must be held accountable. This office is committed to prosecute anyone who violates the law.”
“Conduct like that of Mr. Oliver will not be tolerated and the Department of Corrections will work with all of its law enforcement partners to ensure that such behavior is thoroughly investigated and appropriately prosecuted,” Alabama Commissioner of Corrections Jeff Dunn advised.
This case is the product of a joint federal-state investigation by the FBI’s Mobile Division and ADOC’s Investigations and Intelligence Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simpson of the Middle District of Alabama, Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg, Special Litigation Counsel Jared Fishman and Trial Attorney David Reese of the DOJ’s civil rights division.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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