Ex-Okla. Correctional Officer Slammed with 21-Month Sentence for Civil Rights Violation

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Jarrod Anthony Yates, a former Sequoyah County, Okla., corrections officer, has been slammed with a 21-month prison sentence for violating the civil rights of an arrestee at the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw, Okla.

The brutal incident unfolded on June 25, 2006, when Yates unleashed a torrent of punches and kicks onto the head and face of the unsuspecting arrestee. The attack left the victim with life-threatening injuries, including a fractured orbital socket and severe lacerations requiring stitches to close.

‘We all know corrections officers face perilous duties, but that doesn’t grant them a pass to abuse their power through such heinous acts of violence,’ Acting Assistant Attorney General Grace Chung Becker sternly declared. ‘The rule of law is non-negotiable in our society, and we have a duty to prosecute those who break it with flagrant disregard for human rights.’

Yates’s case was meticulously investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by federal prosecutors including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Horn, along with Trial Attorneys Roy Conn and Michael Khoury from the Civil Rights Division.

Becker emphasized that while most corrections officers handle their duties with appropriate restraint, it is crucial to hold accountable those who abuse their position and shatter the trust of the public they are meant to protect.

The sentence serves as a stark reminder of the consequences for those who trample on the civil rights of others in positions of authority.