Former Jail Guard Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Inmate
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a shocking case of brutality in a detention center, Matthew B. Amburgey, 29, a former supervisory deputy jailer at the Kentucky River Regional Jail, has pleaded guilty to assaulting an inmate.
Amburgey’s guilty plea came before U.S. District Chief Judge Karen K. Caldwell on October 10, 2011. In his plea, Amburgey admitted that he used excessive force against a pretrial detainee at the jail on the same day.
The assault occurred after Amburgey witnessed another Supervisory Deputy Jailer, Damon Hickman, punch the inmate in the side of the head with such force that it broke his hand and caused the inmate’s ear to bleed. Amburgey and other deputies then knocked the inmate to the ground and repeatedly kicked him. Amburgey admitted that he kicked the inmate without justification.
The Kentucky River Regional Jail houses pre-trial detainees from Perry and Knott Counties. As a supervisory deputy jailer, Amburgey was responsible for the custody, care, safety, and control of the inmates at the jail.
Hickman pleaded guilty last year for his role in a separate assault at the same jail. The victim of that assault died.
Amburgey faces up to 12 months imprisonment and is scheduled for sentencing on April 12, 2018, at 1:00 pm.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins of the United States Attorney’s Office and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government.
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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