CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A former corrections officer from Clarksville pleaded guilty to two counts of civil rights violations Friday after assaulting an inmate in 2019 while employed at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility in Hartsville.
Kenan Lister, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for using unlawful force on an inmate, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for being deliberately indifferent to the inmate’s medical needs, according to a news release from David Boling, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“All persons, including prison inmates, are guaranteed under the Constitution the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,” U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin said in the news release.
“I commend our partners at the FBI and the prosecution team for their diligent work in bringing this case and ensuring accountability for the unlawful actions of a prison guard,” Wildasin said.
According to information from his indictment, Lister assaulted an inmate in a holding cell on Aug. 30, 2019, at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility in Hartsville, where he was on duty as the prison’s security threat group coordinator.
While the inmate was sitting in a holding cell and not resisting, Lister punched the inmate in the head, knocking him to the ground, and then kicked, punched and struck the inmate multiple times in his head, chest and torso after he was on the ground, according to the release.
The inmate sustained bodily injury as a result of the assault, and despite Lister’s knowledge that the inmate needed medical attention, he failed to provide medical care or to make the necessary notifications to get the inmate medical care.
“When a correctional officer violates the civil rights of an inmate whose safety he is charged with, it undermines the respect and reputation of all law enforcement officers,” Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office said in the news release.
“The FBI will vigorously investigate and bring to justice any law enforcement officer who violates the constitution and the trust of the people,” Korneski said.
Lister is set for sentencing on Aug. 17 and faces up to 10 years in prison on both counts.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda J. Klopf and Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer of the Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.