4 correction officers, 1 inmate charged in 2 jail incidents
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says four Middle Tennessee correction officers and one inmate have been charged in connection with two separate incidents at the Morgan County Jail.
A TBI statement says a grand jury returned indictments on Monday charging correction officer Denny Hughett with official misconduct and coercion of a witness and inmate Samuel Jennings with aggravated assault. The statement says the charges stem from a Nov. 21 incident in which an inmate’s family accused officers of encouraging an assault and of not intervening during the confrontation.
The TBI said the other incident occurred on Dec. 12 when correction officers improperly attempted to restrain an inmate. The grand jury charged officer Joe D. Shoffner Jr. with official misconduct and assault, and officers Garren Austin Luke Cooper and Michael Alan Lloyd with assault.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the men have attorneys.
