NJ corrections officer pleads guilty to taking an inmate to a blind spot where other officers repeatedly beat him: pros.

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A New Jersey correctional officer pleaded guilty on Thursday to taking an inmate to a spot with no cameras and letting other correctional officers beat him, prosecutors said.

Lorenzo Bowden, 39, a Passaic County correctional officer, admitted to conspiring to obstruct justice following an investigation of an assault of a pretrial detainee, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

The beating happened after a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer on Jan. 22, 2021, according to prosecutors.

The next day, Bowden, along with Sergeant Jose Gonzalez and Sergeant Donald Vinales—who are also charged in the case—took the detainee to a PCJ "blind spot," an area without video surveillance cameras, according to Bowden’s confession.

Gonzalez and Vinales allegedly assaulted the detainee, as he was handcuffed, knocked him to the ground and hit him multiple times, according to court documents.

Bowden also admitted that he did not intereven to stop Gonzalez and Vinales.

The detainee was taken to a local hospital the following day where doctors documented injuries from the alleged assault.

In April 2022, Gonzalez, Vinales, and Bowden, among others, after receiving federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with this investigation, met to discuss the federal investigation, according to prosecutors.

The group agreed not to help with the federal investigation and decided to say nothing happened to the detainee regarding the assault.

In October 2022, during an interview with federal investigators, Bowden lied that the detainee had not been assaulted and that no meeting had taken place, according to court documents.

“The vast majority of law enforcement officers understand the trust placed in them by our community when they wear the badge,” Sellinger said. “But when law enforcement officers abuse the trust the community places in them – when they violate the constitutional rights of the people of New Jersey, including prisoners, they will be held accountable.”

The charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Bowden’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5.