Former Tennessee jailer pleads guilty to hiding inmate abuse

Published 10:29 am Friday, November 22, 2019

TIPTONVILLE (AP) — A former Tennessee jailer has pleaded guilty to hiding inmate abuse by other correctional officers.

Citing a Department of Justice statement, news outlets report 21-year-old Cadie McAlister has admitted to concealing the February assault of an inmate at Northwest County Correctional Complex in Tiptonville.

The statement issued Wednesday says five officers went to the inmate’s cell in the center’s mental health unit, and McAlister helped to cover up a nearby surveillance camera, as requested. It says the inmate was beaten by an officer. It says McAlister was responsible for updating the unit’s logbook yet failed to document the inmate’s assault or how he was left bleeding in his cell.

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Former officers Nathaniel Griffin, Tanner Penwell and Carl Spurlin Jr. have already pleaded guilty to related charges in the case.