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| Prison lieutenant guilty of assault |
| By Centre Daily Times |
| Published: 06/14/2004 |
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A Centre County (Pa.) Prison lieutenant was found guilty of assaulting a prisoner last September after a daylong trial. A jury of seven men and five women convicted 62-year-old John Owens, of 2167 North Oak Lane in State College, of simple assault and official oppression for the incident involving Joseph Ellis, who was taken to Centre County Prison Sept. 12 after being charged with public intoxication. Owens was acquitted on a second count of simple assault. Ellis, in his testimony, admitted he was "very drunk and belligerent" after he was arrested by Penn State police. He said he didn't remember much before getting to the prison but remembered Owens leading him into a small room sometime after 2 a.m. There, Ellis said, Owens yelled at him and punched him. "The last thing I remember about the assault itself was being struck in the face," he said. Photos of his black eye were taken later that morning and shown to jurors at the trial. Jeremy Woodring, who was asked to resign from the prison in October after testing positive for marijuana, said he followed Owens and Ellis into the room used for strip searches because he felt that "something was out of the ordinary." He said he saw Owens holding Ellis against the wall and watched as his superior "pulled his fist back and struck Ellis under the eye." The other corrections officers -- Eric Gates, Lorinda Peters and Lt. Jeanna Ananea -- all said they saw a red mark on Ellis' face after he was brought back out of the room. All the prison workers on duty that night, including Owens, said Ellis had no injuries when he came into the prison that morning. On the stand last Thursday, Owens denied punching Ellis. He said he took him to the room to separate him from the other officers, whom Ellis said were making fun of him, Owens said. After taking him inside the room, Ellis became angry and "was leaning forward, getting in my face, spitting and spurting." Owens said he pushed Ellis back and Ellis "slipped on some items on the floor and fell against the wall." Jurors deliberated for about two hours before returning the verdict. After leaving the courtroom, the 12 burst into a round of applause. Neither the prosecution nor the defense would comment on the verdict. Owens is scheduled to be sentenced July 27. |
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