A former Duval County correctional officer has changed his story and now says he saw another Florida officer throw an inmate to the ground and stomp on the inmate's head last year.

Joseph Leon Bennett, 29, pleaded guilty this week to a charge filed Monday that he lied to the FBI when he was interviewed about the beating of inmate Ronnie Forest. Bennett first told the FBI that he walked by a cell and saw Forest on the floor with a pool of blood around his head.

Forest, 36, had been jailed on charges of attempting to flee and attempting to elude police when he was allegedly beaten by former correctional officer Charles Mincey. He received 30 to 40 stitches in his head and has notified the city that he intends to sue.
Bennett, who faces a maximum of five years in prison, has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, including testifying.

Mincey's trial is scheduled to begin next week. Mincey is charged with using excessive force against Forest and attempting to mislead authorities by submitting a false or incomplete report.

Reports after the incident indicated Forest was belligerent and lunged at Mincey. Parts of that report were questioned and led to an internal investigation that resulted in Mincey's arrest and suspension. Sheriff John Rutherford asked the federal government to look into the case.