Curtis Doughty, a former corrections officer from Muncie, Indiana, has been sentenced to two years of probation following his guilty plea for deprivation of rights under color of law. This decision was made in connection with an incident at the Henry County Jail on February 13, 2024.
Court documents reveal that during a scheduled search of an inmate housing pod, Doughty was part of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) tasked with managing inmates moved to a holding area. While there, inmate M.F. turned away from the wall against orders. In response, Doughty fired a pepper ball gun at close range into M.F.'s spine without warning, causing injury. Following this action, he remarked to other inmates about inhaling the pepper ball gas.
Other SERT team members promptly reported Doughty's conduct to a commander who removed him from duty due to the excessive use of force. Despite having received extensive training on defensive tactics and appropriate responses to resistance scenarios, it was determined that no force was necessary as M.F. was not resisting.
John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana stated: “Corrections officers are empowered by the government to care for inmates. When a corrections officer takes the law into their own hands and uses excessive force to punish inmates, they endanger not only that inmate but they create a greater incentive to resist rather than cooperate and thereby endanger their colleagues as well.”
FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans added: “Everyone, regardless of their status or circumstance, is entitled to dignity and no one should fear for their safety at the hands of those tasked with their care.”
The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman imposed the sentence while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter A. Blackett and Carolyn A. Haney prosecuted the case.