Three corrections officers were denied bond Friday by a Miami-Dade County judge, a day after they were arrested and charged with the death of an inmate who they are accused of beating.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement identified the officers as Ronald Connor, 24, Christopher Rolon, 29, and Kirk Walton, 34.
All three will remain jailed until at least their next hearing.
Jail records show all three were taken into custody Thursday morning on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult and battery/cruel treatment of a detainee.
The officers are charged in connection with the Feb. 14 fatal beating of Ronald Gene Ingram, 60, inside the Dade Correctional Institution.
According to the FDLE, Ingram was supposed to be transferred to Lake CI upstate, but prior to being removed from his cell in the mental health unit, an incident occurred in which he threw urine on one officer.
Authorities said correctional officers handcuffed the inmate, removed him from his cell and began to beat him.
Ingram was beaten so badly, he had to be carried into the transport van, authorities said.
The FDLE said he was placed inside a secure compartment by himself in the van.
“On the way to Lake CI, the van made a stop in Ocala where the inmate was found deceased, laying on a bench inside the van,” a news release from the FDLE stated. “The Medical Examiner determined the death was caused by a punctured lung leading to internal bleeding. In addition, the inmate had injuries to his face and torso consistent with a beating.”
Ten officers from the Florida Department of Corrections were initially placed on administrative leave following the inmate’s death. Authorities confirmed that one officer who is charged in the case remains at large.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss the arrests, along with officials from the FDLE and Florida Department of Corrections.
“Staff misconduct, abuse or criminal behavior have no place in Florida’s correctional system,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “Individuals who are sentenced to incarceration by our criminal courts have lost their freedom but not their basic rights. Inmates should not be subject to forms of ‘back alley’ justice which are actions in violation of Florida law.”
Continue reading...
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement identified the officers as Ronald Connor, 24, Christopher Rolon, 29, and Kirk Walton, 34.
All three will remain jailed until at least their next hearing.
Jail records show all three were taken into custody Thursday morning on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult and battery/cruel treatment of a detainee.
The officers are charged in connection with the Feb. 14 fatal beating of Ronald Gene Ingram, 60, inside the Dade Correctional Institution.
According to the FDLE, Ingram was supposed to be transferred to Lake CI upstate, but prior to being removed from his cell in the mental health unit, an incident occurred in which he threw urine on one officer.
Authorities said correctional officers handcuffed the inmate, removed him from his cell and began to beat him.
Ingram was beaten so badly, he had to be carried into the transport van, authorities said.
The FDLE said he was placed inside a secure compartment by himself in the van.
“On the way to Lake CI, the van made a stop in Ocala where the inmate was found deceased, laying on a bench inside the van,” a news release from the FDLE stated. “The Medical Examiner determined the death was caused by a punctured lung leading to internal bleeding. In addition, the inmate had injuries to his face and torso consistent with a beating.”
Ten officers from the Florida Department of Corrections were initially placed on administrative leave following the inmate’s death. Authorities confirmed that one officer who is charged in the case remains at large.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss the arrests, along with officials from the FDLE and Florida Department of Corrections.
“Staff misconduct, abuse or criminal behavior have no place in Florida’s correctional system,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “Individuals who are sentenced to incarceration by our criminal courts have lost their freedom but not their basic rights. Inmates should not be subject to forms of ‘back alley’ justice which are actions in violation of Florida law.”
Continue reading...
