LANSING – Former corrections officer Christopher Cluley, 48, of Mount Pleasant, was sentenced to one year of probation for the in-custody assault of an Isabella County inmate. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the sentencing today. Cluley pled no contest to one count each of aggravated assault and willful neglect of duty in April.
As part of his plea agreement, Cluley signed an affidavit of decertification and agreed not to recertify as a corrections officer, effectively barring him from working in that capacity in Michigan. Additionally, he is required to undergo an anger management assessment and attend related classes.
“Thanks to the work of the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, the Michigan State Police, and our Public Integrity Unit, Mr. Cluley has been permanently barred from working as a corrections officer in our state and can no longer harm inmates,” Nessel said. “My office remains committed to ensuring officers who violate their oaths to protect and serve are held accountable.”
In April 2020, Cluley was serving as the administrator in charge at the Isabella County Jail when he interacted with an inmate during a cell transfer prompted by a verbal disagreement between the inmate and another corrections officer.
Video evidence shows that once the inmate was standing just outside his cell, Cluley grabbed him, spun him around, pushed him into the cell door, and then into the wall next to it. After escorting the inmate to a new cell, Cluley pushed him to the ground where he cried out in pain upon hitting the floor.
An x-ray later revealed that the inmate had suffered a fractured left knee.
Cluley was placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation was conducted by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department. The department subsequently contacted the Michigan State Police (MSP), whose Special Investigation Section completed their own investigation and referred the matter to the Department of Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.