Three Big Sandy Employees, Civil Rights Violations, Kentucky 2021

Three Bureau of Prisons employees of the United States Penitentiary Big Sandy, located in Inez, Ky., have been charged with federal civil rights violations.

An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in London, Ky., charges Samuel J. Patrick, 41, of West Van Lear, Ky.; Clinton L. Pauley, 40, of Ironton, Ohio; and Kevin C. Pearce, Jr., 37, of Inez, Ky., with violating an individual’s rights under the color of law and of falsifying records to impede an investigation.

The indictment alleges that on April 29, 2021, Patrick and Pauley assaulted an inmate, in the lieutenant’s office of USP Big Sandy. After Pearce and a subordinate BOP employee witnessed the assault, Pearce asked that employee to write an untruthful report, omitting the assault. It is also alleged that Patrick pressured that employee to submit to Pearce’s demand.

The indictment also alleges that Pearce wrote a memorandum that documented the false account of the officers’ interactions with the inmate who was assaulted; that stated another employee was present in the office with the victim; and that stated the victim left the office without incident, omitting the assault. Patrick and Pauley are also alleged to have written memos to cover up the assault.

In addition, the indictment alleges that Pauley previously assaulted another inmate on March 26, 2021, while the inmate was being escorted away from the lieutenants’ office of USP Big Sandy and that he subsequently wrote a false incident report to cover up that assault.

The indictment charges the defendants with deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years per count, and falsifying records to impede an investigation, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years per count.

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