A second correctional officer has pled guilty in the February beating of an inmate at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville.
According to U.S. Attorney for West Tennessee Michael Dunavant, 22-year-old Tanner Penwell, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to using unlawful force on an inmate.
According to Dunavant, earlier this year, Penwell and four other officers entered an inmate’s cell in the mental health unit and took turns beating the inmate, who was struck somewhere between 40 to 50 times.
The maximum penalty for this civil rights offense is 10 years imprisonment.
Dunavant tells Thunderbolt Radio News that the four other officers were also charged in the incident.
Former correctional officer Nathaniel Griffin entered a guilty plea in federal court on August 15. Sentencing is scheduled for November 27 before U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen.
