Jailer details alleged abuse on female inmate at Harrison County jail

By ROBIN FITZGERALD - SUN HERALD

E-Mail

Print Reprint or license

Text Size:

tool goes here

HATTIESBURG -- Chelle Abrams, "loud and boisterous" by nature, yelled and threw a food tray in her holding cell because she had been pepper sprayed at the Harrison County jail without being decontaminated, according to a former jailer's testimony today

Abrams flushed her eyes with water from a stainless steel toilet and booking officers ignored her screams for help, said former jailer William Jeffery Priest. In a span of 10 minutes filmed by surveillance cameras, Abrams was punched in the face repeatedly by Ryan Michael Teel after she threw toilet water at him as officers entered her cell, Priest testified.

The other co-defendant, James Ricky "Rick" Gaston, then repeatedly shot Abrams with a Taser, said Priest, who admitted he then punched her, and she said, "I'm done."

In other testimony today, former jail employee Melissa Peterson said she witnessed her friend, Regina Rhodes, straddling Abra Horn in a female cell and punching her in the back. Peterson said she, along with Rhodes, Gaston and another officer, escorted Horn to a holding cell and on the way Horn spat at Rhodes and tried to kick her. Rhodes punched Horn while Gaston watched and remained silent, Peterson testified.

The government called another witness after a lunch break. Former jailer Dedri Caldwell, one of the eight to plead guilty in the investigation, is at the federal courthouse with her attorney and likely could be the next witness called.

The Sun Herald is in Hattiesburg covering the trial and brings updates online and in Thursday's editions.