EAST ST. LOUIS – A former correctional officer at Pinckneyville Correctional Center has pleaded guilty to beating a restrained inmate. Christian L. Pyles, 25, from Christopher, Illinois, admitted in court to violating the inmate’s civil rights by beating them while they were restrained and then lying on incident reports.
Another former officer, Cord A. Williams, 35, from Vergennes, Illinois, was also charged in the indictment and entered a guilty plea on July 18. The inmate was assaulted while fully restrained with handcuffs and leg irons on April 24, 2022.
According to court documents, the assault was an act of retaliation against the inmate for having previously punched a different correctional officer. This retaliation resulted in the inmate sustaining injuries, including facial fractures, multiple lacerations requiring 25 stitches, a chipped tooth, and lung damage.
As part of their duties, correctional officers are required to write incident reports to accurately document any incidents they witness or are reported to them, including disturbances or the use of force.
Williams, Pyles, and others collaborated to file false reports about the incident in an attempt to downplay the amount of force used. Pyles is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2024, and the sentence hearing for Williams is set for November 6, 2023.