Three Jail Deputies Fired

SHERIFF: Men Pepper Sprayed Restrained Inmate

A frame from a video showing Benton County jailers restraining and pepper-spraying an inmate.
A frame from a video showing Benton County jailers restraining and pepper-spraying an inmate.

— Three Benton County Sheriff’s Office jailers were fired last month after using pepper spray on an inmate strapped in a restraint chair, Sheriff Kelley Cradduck said Monday.

The incident happened Jan. 4 after Siloam Springs police brought Shannon Taylor to the jail. He was held in a cell near the booklng area when the incident took place.

“The bottom line is we don’t pepper spray people who are in full body restraints,” Cradduck said. “Our job is simply to use the necessary amount of force to safely gain control of the inmates.”

The fired deputies were Gale Roland, Shawn Henning and Michael Finnegan.

Henning, a jail sergeant, started at the jail on April 20, 2009. Finnegan, a jail deputy, was hired on March 10, 2007. Roland, a corporal, was hired on March 17, 2008, according to Sheriff’s Office records.

An investigation started after the jail command staff was informed of the incident Jan. 7, Maj. Rob Holly said. The three men were fired a few days later after the investigation was finished, Holly said.

Taylor, 25, of Joplin, Mo., was arrested by Siloam Springs police and booked into the jail Jan. 4. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, criminal mischief in the second degree and loitering.

Video captured at the Benton County Jail of an incident that <a href="http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2013/feb/11/sheriff-fired-deputies-pepper-sprayed-restrained-i/?latest">led to three jailers being fired.</a> The video shows an inmate in a restraint chair being pepper sprayed, which may be disturbing to some viewers. The mark on the inmate's cheek is visible in an earlier video of him being booked into the jail.

Benton County Jail incident

Video available Watch Video

Holly said police told the jail staff Taylor may have been under the influence of bath salts.

Bath salts are synthetic substances said to have an effect similar to cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy. Bath salts are made by spraying chemicals on Epsom salt and users can smoke, snort or inject the crystal-like substance, generally found in powder form, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The video captured by jail surveillance cameras shows Taylor at the cell door. Taylor had been knocking on the cell door’s window. Deputies rush in and take him to the floor. Taylor is then strapped in a restraint chair and left alone in the cell. Taylor is able to work one of his legs out of the restraints and deputies soon return to the cell.

The video shows Finnegan stomp at Taylor’s legs while he and Roland try to put his leg back in restraints. One stomp misses and another lands on Taylor’s leg, the video, which has no sound, shows.

While Finnegan and Roland try to place the leg back in restraints, Roland sprays Taylor in the face with pepper spray, the video shows.

A mark on Taylor’s cheek is visible in an earlier video of him being booked into the jail.

Holly said the video contained elements of excessive force — using pepper spray, the physical takedown of Taylor and putting him in the chair restraint because he knocked on the cell window. Henning was involved in the restraint, Holly said.

“You can’t restrain someone for knocking on a window,” Holly said.

Cradduck said Taylor knocked on the cell door window, but was not making threats to jailers.

“We can’t simply resort to going hands on hands with inmates in all situations,” Cradduck said.

Cradduck said it is never justifiable to spray an inmate in restraints with pepper spray.

“There are times we are going to go hands on hands with an inmate when it is the only option,” Cradduck said. “This was not one of those scenarios.”

Cradduck believes the three men are good people who made a bad decision.

“We’re still a tough jail, but we are going to be a professional one,” Cradduck said. “That is the standard and I will not lower it. We are paid professionals and we are going to act like it.”

Taylor was transferred to Vista Health a few days after the incident, Cradduck said. According to jail records, Taylor was released from the jail Jan. 8.

Cradduck said the Sheriff’s Office will start a new training program for jail staff.

There’s also a testing procedure — a written evaluation, physical conditioning and an interview — applicants must now go through to be hired at the jail.

On Saturday, 18 people went through the testing procedure to fill the three open spots at the jail. Six people made the cut, Cradduck said.

The Sheriff’s Office had not heard from Taylor since he left the jail, Holly said.

“We haven’t heard hide or hair from him,” Holly said.

Benton County Prosecutor Van Stone said Monday no one had filed a complaint with his office.

Web Watch

The Benton County jail video can be viewed by going to nwaonline.com/videos

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