PALESTINE — A 25-year-old Anderson County jailer has been terminated from her job and charged with official oppression after sheriff’s authorities say she kicked and hit an inmate who was restrained in a chair.

Jennifer Ann Kelley, 25, of Palestine was arrested on the Class A misdemeanor charge of official oppression Wednesday morning after turning herself in at the Anderson County Jail, according to Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor.

Kelley’s firing and arrest stemmed from an early morning incident this past Sunday during which she allegedly hit a restrained inmate with closed fists multiple times and also kicked and choked the man, according to Taylor.

The inmate had become unruly at the jail around 3 a.m. Sunday following his arrest for public intoxication, the sheriff stated. The man was “cussing, kicking the door and screaming and hollering,” according to the sheriff.

Based on his behavior, the decision — which Taylor described as “proper” — was made by jail staff to place him in a “restraint chair,” Taylor said.

Such a chair restrains a person’s chest, legs, arms and waist, the sheriff described.

After calming down, the inmate was removed from the restraint chair, but placed in it a second time after again becoming disruptive, according to Taylor.

“He was banging his head, acting in a manner in which he was a danger to himself” and others, the sheriff stated.

A total of five jailers, including Kelley, then combined to get the inmate back in the restraint chair the second time, according to the sheriff.

“They’re (the inmate) pretty much incapacitated at that point, they’re not a threat to anyone any more at that point,” Taylor described.

Shortly thereafter, however, Kelley struck the inmate in various ways, according to the sheriff.

“This particular officer (Kelley) kicked this individual while he was in the chair,” Taylor said. “She punched this individual in the face while he was in the chair.”

The sheriff further described that the woman allegedly struck the inmate with “closed fists” and “open hands...numerous times in the facial area.

“She (also) grabbed him around from behind by the throat,” Taylor continued.

The sheriff said the male inmate was not seriously injured, sustaining what he described as “minimal marks on his face.

The inmate “did not require hospitalization or even treatment outside this facility,” Taylor said.

The sheriff said the incident occurred in one of the jail’s “detox tanks.” Although the facility’s video does not penetrate the interior of a cell, Taylor said it does span the outside of the cell and that some of the activity was captured.

“Some things can be seen that corroborate what was going on,” Taylor stated.

The jailers witnessing the incident reported the “use of force” to their superior, triggering the criminal investigation, according to the sheriff.

Following the incident, Kelley was immediately placed on “administrative leave,” pending the outcome of the criminal investigation headed by sheriff’s Sgt. Ronnie Foster, according to the sheriff.

Kelley was formally terminated from her position Tuesday at the conclusion of the criminal investigation, according to Taylor.

Sheriff’s Capt. Jay Russell will now conduct an internal affairs investigation into the matter.

Taylor said the integrity of the sheriff’s office cannot be compromised even if it temporarily sheds a negative light.

“It’s a sad day when an employee makes a mistake like this,” Taylor said. “In this line of work, we have to protect the rights of our citizens, even the ones who are incarcerated, and she violated their rights. We have to maintain the integrity of our office.”

Kelley was released from the jail  later Wednesday after posting a $50,000 bond set by Anderson County Justice of the Peace James Westley, according to the sheriff.

Prior to the incident, Kelley had been working as an Anderson County jailer for three months, according to the sheriff. Before that, she was employed as a part-time dispatcher for the agency for approximately six months, he added.

Official oppression is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine not to exceed $4,000.

————

Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com