Deputy fired for 'grappling' with inmate over graffiti
CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - A Pinellas County detention deputy has been fired after tossing an inmate into the wall after finding graffiti in a cell, the sheriff's office said.
Deputy Mathew Stanfield, 26, was fired Monday for the incident that happened back in March 22. According to the sheriff's office, Stanfield found graffiti that was "derogatory in nature towards law enforcement" in an inmate's cell at the Pinellas County Jail.
That's when he allegedly ordered the inmate into another cell that was "video obstructed," the sheriff's office said, threatened him with a stun gun.
"Stanfield informed the inmate that they were going to 'grapple' and charged the inmate grabbing his leg, lifting him off the ground, knocking him backward into a concrete wall, and then to the floor," a PCSO statement about the incident explained.
The inmate, who was not named, suffered non-life-threatening injuries that required the attention of jail medical staff.
Investigators say Stanfield did not report the incident, then lied about it when questioned.
The case has been referred to the state attorney's office.