SUFFOLK, Va. — Two officers that were terminated from the Western Tidewater Regional Jail were charged in connection with their treatment of an inmate back in June, according to a press release sent by the jail.
The terminated officers — 29-year-old Josh Goins and 25-year-old Corey Lott — were charged with aggravated malicious wounding, according to the Suffolk police department.
On June 16, inmate Arkynson Reyes-Zeledon threw water from his cell onto a corrections officer, the court document obtained by News 3 reads. A press release sent by Western Tidewater Regional Jail claimed that the inmate had been noncompliant, prompting officers to use force. The court document goes on to say that Reyes-Zeledon had been pepper sprayed and that Goins and Lott then worked to escort him.
The court document states, citing security camera footage and officer statements, that Reyes-Zeledon had been cooperative after being pepper sprayed. During their escort, both Goins and Lott were seen pulling the inmate in opposite directions, resulting in Reyes-Zeledon being struck by a column. They then pushed Reyes-Zeledon head first into a closed door without slowing down.
"Both Mr. Lott and Mr. Goins indicated they were moving excessively fast with the inmate, but neither made any effort to slowdown as they approached a doorway that both also admit that they did not believe was unsecured," the court document reads.
Reyes-Zeledon went limp after this collision, according to the court document. Goins and Lott did not offer medical aid after this happened, instead opting to drag his body through the facility.
Reyes-Zeledon was then taken to Norfolk General Hospital, where it was revealed that he suffered a broken neck and hand. The inmate was likely paralyzed as a result of the incident, according to hospital staff reports in the criminal complaint.
Following an internal review, the jail terminated both officers involved. The Suffolk Police Department then launched an external investigation, resulting in felony warrants being issued for both officers, according to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail's press release.
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