KOKOMO — A Howard County corrections officer is being charged with felony battery after he reportedly swept the legs out from underneath an inmate and caused her head to crash into the floor.
The Howard County Circuit Court issued a summons for Colin M. Byrd, 22, on Friday charging him with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony.
According to the Howard County Sheriff’s Department, Byrd had been previously disciplined for a similar use of force incident in the past at the Howard County Jail.
Byrd’s most recent use of unnecessary force was reported on Jan. 3. Investigators concluded that Byrd had been transporting an inmate from one jail cell to another when he suddenly swept out her legs and caused her to crash down to the floor. The inmate suffered a laceration above her right eye from the fall which required emergency room medical attention, the sheriff’s department said.
Byrd originally tried to claim that the female pushed into him and that he believed he was going to lose control of positioning, deciding to put her on the floor face down. He did reportedly tell police he hadn’t meant to take her to the ground so hard.
