Willie M. Burks III, a 41-year-old former Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) lieutenant, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for failing to stop an officer from assaulting an inmate at the Elmore Correctional Facility in Alabama.
The incident occurred on February 16, 2019, when former Correctional Sergeant Ulysses Oliver Jr. assaulted two handcuffed and unresisting inmates in the observation room. Oliver struck the first inmate multiple times with his fists and feet and then used his collapsible baton to repeatedly strike the victim. Burks, who was in charge of the facility, stood by and did nothing as Oliver assaulted the inmates.
Burks allowed Oliver to come back into the observation room where the victims were held. As Burks again stood by and did nothing, Oliver entered the room, stood over the victims, and shoved the tip of his baton into the face of one of the victims, lacerating the victim’s face.
Oliver and two other former corrections officers have pleaded guilty in connection with this incident. Oliver pleaded guilty to assaulting the two inmates on April 2, 2019. Former ADOC correctional officers Bryanna Mosley and Leon Williams pleaded guilty in May and July 2019, respectively, to failing to intervene to stop the assaults.
“Those working inside our jails and prisons have a duty to intervene in the face of unlawful and violent conduct being carried out by their colleagues,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “Under the Constitution, correctional officers may not physically assault inmates for violations of prison rules, and any officials who see this happening must do what they can to stop it.”
The mission of the FBI is to protect the civil rights of American citizens, and the agency will continue to hold accountable those who break the law.
Defendant: Willie M. Burks III
Criminal Charges: Failing to intervene in inmate assault
City and State: Elmore, Alabama
Crime Date: February 16, 2019
Sentence: 9 years in prison, with 2 years of supervised release
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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