A former eastern Kentucky correctional officer has pleaded guilty to covering up the assault of an inmate.
Derek A. Mays, 32, of Morehead, admitted to four counts of obstruction of justice during a hearing on Monday.
At the time of the crime, he was serving as an officer with the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Center (EKCC) in Morgan County.
According to a release by the Department of Justice, Mays admitted that on July 24, 2018, he witnessed three EKCC correctional officers assaulting an inmate, and then he falsified records that covered up that assault.
Specifically, Mays wrote and signed an “Occurrence Report” that was intending to cover up the assault, saying that the inmate had been uncompliant, which was false. Mays also admitted to later lying to his supervisor, a KSP detective, and a Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet investigator, on three separate occasions, about the assault.
He was indicted on the charges earlier this month.
The investigation into the incident was handled by the FBI, Kentucky State Police, and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.
Mays is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2023, where he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each charge.
By: Sam Gormley, Local News
