Prison guard had complaints before inmate was beaten
OCALA, Fla. (AP) - A news report says a guard accused in a lawsuit of beating a female inmate so severely she was left paralyzed has previously been accused of trading cigarettes for sex, insubordination, harassing inmates and other actions.
The Miami Herald reports that Lowell Correctional Institution never fired Keith Turner and he was promoted to lieutenant.
Cheryl Weimar says in a lawsuit that she was nearly beaten to death by four guards in August at the prison in Ocala. Weimar was left with a broken neck and is now a paraplegic, according to the lawsuit.
Turner and another guard, Ryan Dionne, were identified by Weimar's attorney in court documents.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
The guards have been reassigned to jobs that don't have contact with inmates.