Jail Guard Suspended for Itch Powder Prank
Inmates Report Rashes and Discomfort
Aug. 21, 2000
KENT, Wash. (AP) -- A jail guard who said he sprinkled itching powder on the bedsheets of four inmates as a prank has been suspended for one month without pay.
The 27-year-old officer at the Regional Justice Center admitted to the Aug. 3 incident, which gave the inmates rashes, said Steve Thompson, director of the King County Department of Adult Detention.
The officer was placed on paid leave while officials investigated. That changed to one month of unpaid leave when the investigation was completed Wednesday.
Inmates hire lawyer
The inmates, who are being held in solitary confinement, have hired a lawyer and filed grievances.
"I was put in terrible discomfort, like having tiny fiberglass hairs on your skin or being Maced," inmate Steven Ostrander, 27, said earlier this month.
Two other jail officers, including one who resigned for unrelated reasons, also may have been involved in the incident, the center commander has said.
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Skyhawk
Inmates Report Rashes and Discomfort
Aug. 21, 2000
KENT, Wash. (AP) -- A jail guard who said he sprinkled itching powder on the bedsheets of four inmates as a prank has been suspended for one month without pay.
The 27-year-old officer at the Regional Justice Center admitted to the Aug. 3 incident, which gave the inmates rashes, said Steve Thompson, director of the King County Department of Adult Detention.
The officer was placed on paid leave while officials investigated. That changed to one month of unpaid leave when the investigation was completed Wednesday.
Inmates hire lawyer
The inmates, who are being held in solitary confinement, have hired a lawyer and filed grievances.
"I was put in terrible discomfort, like having tiny fiberglass hairs on your skin or being Maced," inmate Steven Ostrander, 27, said earlier this month.
Two other jail officers, including one who resigned for unrelated reasons, also may have been involved in the incident, the center commander has said.
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Skyhawk