BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – The United States Department of Justice announced that two former corrections officers from the Southern Regional Jail plead guilty for their roles in an assault that led to the death of an inmate identified by the initials Q.B., back in 2022.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Johnathan Walters pleaded guilty on Nov. 18 to conspiring with other officers to violate Q.B.‘s civil rights which resulted in their death. Corey Snyder pleaded guilty on Nov. 19 to the same offense.
According to court documents filed in connection with the guilty pleas, Snyder responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave the pod he was assigned to. When Snyder arrived, court documents say officers were using force to restrain and handcuff Q.B. Snyder also began using force, which documents say included putting his arm around Q.B.‘s neck and taking him to the floor. Snyder and other officers then conspired to violate Q.B.’s civil rights by unlawfully punishing Q.B. to retaliate against him for his attempt to leave the pod.
The DOJ said as part of that conspiracy, officers brought Q.B. to an interview room, where Walters joined them. In this interview room, the DOJ said the officers used unreasonable force against Q.B. More specifically, officers hit Q.B. multiple times in the head several times, kicked, knee-struck pulled and twisted Q.B.‘s finger and sprayed Q.B. with O.C. spray. The DOJ said this happened all while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone.
After the events in the interview room, the DOJ said officers took Q.B. to A-Pod. While heading there, Q.B. became limp and wasn’t able to walk on his own, according to the DOJ. The DOJ said officers carried Q.B. by his arms and legs down the hallway. At the door to A=Pod, Walters admitted to using unjustified force by swinging Q.B.‘s head into the metal door and using the force from Q.B.’s head to push open the door, according to the DOJ.
Both Snyder and Walters admitted to knowing that the interview room was a “blind spot”, which meant there were no surveillance cameras in the room. The DOJ said both admitted to knowing that officers would take inmates and pretrial detainees who had engaged in misconduct there where officers would use unreasonable force.
According to the plea agreements, both Snyder and Walters face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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