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| Ill. Sheriff Ties Jail Brawl, Lawsuit |
| By Chicago Sun-Times |
| Published: 03/10/2003 |
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Five prisoners in one of the toughest sections of Cook County Jail plotted for almost a week in the summer of 2000 to goad jail guards into beating them so the inmates could sue the county for millions of dollars, according to Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan. The ruse worked, Sheahan said, and the resulting fight sent seven officers and five inmates to nearby hospitals for injuries ranging from a broken finger to a severe scalp cut. Three weeks later, the prisoners sued the county for more than $50,000, claiming they were beaten while shackled and handcuffed. But Sheahan recently denied that any brutality took place and released a stack of documents to bolster his argument, taking the offensive against reports last week that some of his officers had acted like thugs. 'Evidence shows this was a staged event by a handful of some of the most violent inmates incarcerated at Cook County Jail, charged with about 20 murders total between them,'' Sheahan said. Sheahan released statements from four other inmates, a jail nurse and an internal affairs report that seem to support his version of the July 29, 2000, fight. He declined, however, to release the same kind of information about a reportedly much larger fight at the jail years earlier, saying it was still-after four years-under investigation. In that incident, some prisoners claim, 40 members of an elite unit allegedly beat and terrorized inmates in another maximum security division, then delayed getting them medical attention and covered up the whole thing. The jail director is expected to make discipline recommendations in that case early this week, and Sheahan insisted that at most his officers are guilty of 'procedural' errors, and not abuse. But that's not how Charles Holman, an internal affairs officer who investigated the alleged beatings, sees it. Holman confirmed that his investigation sustained brutality allegations against one supervising officer and violations against nine others. He also claims he informed then-jail chief Ernesto Velasco about his findings. Velasco rejects that, saying he never talked to Holman about his investigation, said Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Sergio Molina. Velasco's appointment to head corrections was put on hold last week by Gov. Blagojevich. Holman also accused his supervisor of pressuring him to rethink his findings and says he was reassigned after being accused of releasing his confidential, internal investigation to a lawyer or the media. Holman denies that charge. Sheahan's office said this is the first it has heard of Holman being pressured: 'He could have told us about it, and we'd look into it,' said Sally Daly, Sheahan's spokeswoman. 'But the bottom line is he conducted the investigation, and he didn't alter his conclusions.' She said Holman has been reassigned, pending the outcome of their investigation. 'He'll have his opportunity to present his side of the story,' she said. Cook County commissioners plan to call Sheahan before a committee to explain himself. Some commissioners are calling for an outside investigation, and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is calling for a federal investigation. And two of Sheahan's jail officers quit last month, saying they were pressured to lie about beatings that they say some officers administered to the five inmates, who were shackled and handcuffed, in the July 2000 altercation. The two officers have given depositions in the prisoners' lawsuit, alleging brutality by other officers. Sheahan dismissed the allegations, saying they come from 'disgruntled' officers and particularly vicious killers. |
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