 | Now: 70°F | Low: 61° High: 70° |
HATTIESBURG -- The federal government likely calls Kasey Dion Alves back to the witness stand this morning as testimony resumes in the conspiracy case accusing two former Harrison County jailers of unjustified use of force against inmates.
Federal trial attorney John Cotton Richmond on Thursday told U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. he had more questions for Alves as Guirola recessed court for the evening.
Alves, admitting he was drunk when brought in to booking, testified he suffered acute kidney failure as a result of being strapped tightly in a restraint chair for more than seven hours with no medical attention or water.
A jail surveillance tape played in court showed Alves, 34, was cuffed with hands behind his back when a corrections officer slammed him to the floor. Alves was punched and spewed with pepper spray. He told the court his assailants were Ryan Michael Teel, a co-defendant at trial, and former booking officer Regina Rhodes, who has pleaded guilty to accusations that include conspiracy to deprive inmates' rights under color of law.
The videotape showed Alves strapped in a restraint chair and moved into a holding cell with other inmates. Alves testified that the officers shown walking by the cell and peering through the Plexiglas window were laughing and making fun of him.
The video tape made it appear that Alves was gawked at like a an exhibit at a zoo. It also showed an officer identified as Teel bouncing a ball against the holding cell window and Teel slamming an orange-suited inmate against a door or door jam in a nearby holding cell. The orange jail uniforms are worn by inmates held on a non-violent charge.
Alves said he resides in Dayton, Ohio, and was on the Coast for a job prospect in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The presence in court this week of attorneys for potential witnesses indicates testimony isn't over in the accusations against Teel in the fatal beating of inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@