PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine county jail guard has pleaded not guilty to charges related to an alleged assault on an incarcerated man.
Cumberland County Jail guard Vinal Thompson faced felony charges for reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor charges of assault and reckless conduct, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Defense attorney Bruce Merrill declined to comment Thursday after submitting the pleas in Cumberland County court.
“We haven’t seen any discovery in this case,” he said.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce requested the criminal investigation last year after seeing video footage of the July 2020 altercation. His office denied a public records request last year by the Herald to release the footage, citing an exemption for intelligence and investigative information that is not considered public.
Joyce provided basic details and said that Thompson approached an inmate who “started to create a disturbance” at 8:20 a.m. on July 7. Apparently, Thompson allegedly approached the man and attempted to handcuff him, and the man stepped away and put his hands in the air as if to refuse the handcuffs.
“Officer Thompson immediately began to punch the inmate in the face, and they both began to scuffle,” Joyce said.
The court scheduled a dispositional conference for Jan. 12.