Ex-WV Jail Officer Sentenced for Inmate Assault Coverup

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    In Charleston, West Virginia, a former jail supervisor has been sentenced to over 17 years in federal prison for his involvement in covering up an incident that led to an inmate’s death. The ex-supervisor, former Lieutenant Chad Lester, was convicted earlier this year on three counts of felony obstruction of justice. This stems from a March 2022 incident at the Southern Regional Jail, where inmate Quantez Burks was assaulted by correctional officers and ultimately died. Burks, who was awaiting trial on a wanton endangerment charge, passed away less than 24 hours after being incarcerated.

    Court documents reveal that Burks attempted to bypass an officer to exit his housing unit, leading to a situation where he was taken to an interview room. While restrained and handcuffed, Burks was subjected to violence by officers. Lester played a key role in the subsequent cover-up, providing false information to investigators and instructing other officers to do the same. He also added deceptive statements to several reports and threatened officers with violence if they did not comply with his directives. The jury found Lester guilty of making false statements, witness tampering, and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.

    “This case demonstrates a significant breach of trust, where correctional officers took the life of an inmate and then conspired to hide their actions,” stated Lisa Johnston, acting U.S. attorney for West Virginia’s southern district. Seven additional correctional officers have admitted guilt concerning the assault, and several provided testimony against Lester during the trial. Last week, Officer Steven Nicholas Wimmer received a nine-year prison sentence for conspiring to use unreasonable force against Burks. Four other officers await sentencing on the same charge within the year, and two more are due for sentencing next month after admitting to violating Burks’ civil rights by not intervening during the attack.

    Although the state medical examiner’s office initially attributed Burks’ death to natural causes, his family commissioned a private autopsy, which uncovered multiple blunt force trauma injuries on his body. This case has drawn attention to the conditions and deaths at the facility, which reportedly saw over a dozen inmate fatalities in 2022. In November 2023, West Virginia settled a class-action lawsuit for $4 million following allegations from inmates of inhumane conditions, including inadequate access to water and food, overpopulation, and unchecked violence.

    The incident led to significant administrative repercussions, including the dismissal of Brad Douglas, the former Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Executive Officer, and Homeland Security Chief Counsel Phil Sword. This action came after a federal magistrate judge accused them of the “intentional” destruction of pertinent records, affecting a ruling on the lawsuit. During an October 2023 hearing, it emerged that no measures had been taken to preserve evidence, including essential emails and documents, by either former or current corrections officials, including defendants in the lawsuit.