MAYO, Florida — A Mayo Correctional Institution officer was arrested Thursday for battery of an inmate and falsifying a use of force report following an investigation.
Cody Ford was arrested and transported to the Lafayette County Jail following an investigation by the Florida Department of Corrections’ Office of the Inspector General.
According to the affidavit, the suspect and a fellow officer searched an inmate’s foot locker on Nov. 6, 2017, and found paint thinner and tape.
The affidavit states that the suspect then ordered the inmate into the bathroom area.
Once inside the bathroom area, the inmate testified he was handcuffed and sprayed with chemical agents for no reason, according to the affidavit.
The inmate further testified that when he was going to the ground, the suspect kneed him in the shoulder and then proceeded to kick him several times while he was already on the ground, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, numerous inmates head the commotion and witnessed the suspect beating the inmate with six inmates calling the OIG’s tips line to report the abuse.
The affidavit states that when additional staff removed the inmate from the dormitory, the suspect prepared his incident report and use of force report, stating that the inmate elevated his voice, clenched his fists and assumed a fighting posture.
According to the suspect’s reports, both he and the other officer then approached the inmate to apply hand restraints and the inmate struck him in the face leading to the use of chemical agents, the affidavit states.
The suspect then stated in his reports that because of continued resistance by the inmate, he took the inmate to the ground where the restraints were applied and force ceased, according to the affidavit.
During an interview, the other officer testified that he did not hear the inmate say anything and denied orders were given to the inmate prior to the use of the chemical agents as is stated in the reports, the affidavit states.
The officer denied abusing the inmate and testified that he heard a commotion and turned around to see the inmate had been sprayed with the chemicals and was on the floor, being held down by the suspect, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states that the officer admitted to not thoroughly reading his signed incident report, that it was typed by someone else and admitted it was not accurate.
According to the affidavit, that report read like the suspect’s report which documented the inmate being combative and resistant, which he was not.
Another officer testified that she did not see the full incident but she did see the suspect kick the inmate several times while the inmate was laying on the floor, the affidavit states.