A federal judge ordered three former Georgia prison guards to the penitentiary Thursday — and not for work.
Former Sgt. Christopher Hall, and Officers Ronald Lach and Delton Rushin were sentenced for beating an inmate in 2010 at Macon State prison and for participating in a coverup to derail a federal investigation.
The former guards were members of the prison’s Correctional Emergency Response Team —CERT — which works as a special tactical team within prison walls, often dealing with prison emergencies or violent inmates.
The three were convicted by a federal jury on June 20, bringing the total number of guards convicted in the wrongdoing to eight. The guards beat the inmate in retaliation for previous misconduct, according to the federal Justice Department.
Hall was sentenced to 72 months for conspiracy to obstruct justice and two related offenses. Lach was sentenced to 90 months for his involvement in the beating, for conspiring to cover up the beating and for writing a false report. Rushin was sentenced to 60 months for conspiring to obstruct justice and related offenses.
They also have two years of supervision after release.
"Eight former corrections officials from Macon State Prison now stand convicted for their involvement in beating inmates or in the coordinated cover-ups that followed each assault," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta for the Civil Rights Division in a prepared statement. "These officers betrayed the public trust by using their official positions to commit violent civil rights abuses and then to try to hide what they had done."
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