PORTLAND, Maine — The trial of a Cumberland County jail guard accused of assaulting an inmate has started.
Guard Nicholas Stein is accused of dragging and punching inmate Brian Cote last June.
Cote testified Tuesday that he was injured after a jump from the second-floor balcony. He says Stein dragged him 200 feet and punched him in the face instead of summoning medical help as required. Cote says he jumped because he had been denied his medications.
WCSH-TV reports that Cote’s girlfriend testified that he was in a wheelchair for five months and underwent several surgeries after the jump.
Stein’s attorney says surveillance video shows her client handcuffing Cote and taking him to the medical unit, but does not show a punch.
Stein is on leave after pleading not guilty.
The inmate jumped from the second tier. Then we are asked to believe he was beaten and dragged by one correction officer. Of course in the block there would be other inmates who likely saw this occur. Also this would be all recorded by the jails security system. 200 feet is two thirds the length of a football field. That is a long way to drag someone.
However this case is now in court. That means the DA office is prosecuting this guard. I would hope that they would be doing this as the evidence shows that the guard did assault the inmate.
If the security tape truly did show the guard restraining the inmate and calling for medical help then why is this case in court and why is he being prosecuted?
Talk about ‘fighting” for your job.
How many people are looking at his face, Stein’s, and saying ‘yah he did it, he’s guilty?
Come on.. This is a guy who knows nothing about how society as whole lives. He is a criminal and jumped off a balcony and he is blaming a guard? Give him extra tiem for a frivoulous lawsuit and charge him for the trial. Man I miss the old days of bread and water and solitary confinement, hard labor.