A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, has admitted guilt in a federal civil rights violation case related to the death of an inmate. Mark Holdren pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to infringe upon the civil rights of inmate Q.B., resulting in his death on March 1, 2022.
Court documents reveal that Holdren responded to a call for assistance after Q.B. attempted to leave his assigned area. Upon arrival, Holdren joined other officers using force against Q.B., which included knee strikes he later acknowledged were excessive and unreasonable. The group conspired to unlawfully punish Q.B. as retaliation for his actions.
Holdren confessed that officers took Q.B. to a surveillance-free "blind spot" within the jail where they continued using unreasonable force despite him being restrained and posing no threat. This included striking Q.B.'s head, kicking, kneeing, twisting his fingers, and spraying him with O.C. spray.
This plea makes Holdren one of six former correctional officers indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023 over this incident. Two others, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe, previously admitted guilt for failing to intervene during the use of excessive force against Q.B., with sentencing scheduled for January 9, 2025.
The trial for the remaining defendants is set for December 10. Prior pleas from former officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman also acknowledged conspiracy in this case; their sentencing is planned for February 7, 2025.
Under his plea agreement terms, Holdren faces up to 30 years in prison and fines reaching $250,000.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made this announcement alongside U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia and FBI Pittsburgh Field Office's Special Agent Kevin P. Rojek.
The investigation is ongoing under the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office's Charleston Resident Agency's supervision while Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith lead prosecution efforts with U.S. Attorney Thompson.