Oklahoma prison guard charged with striking shackled inmate

MCALESTER, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma prison guard has been charged with striking a shackled inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Lt. William Graham, 35, was charged Monday with aggravated assault and battery and providing false evidence, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice, according to court records.

Court records do not list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The documents allege Graham hit inmate Kentrell Campbell on June 16 while Campbell’s arms were restrained behind him and his legs were shackled.

Graham initially denied hitting the inmate, then was shown a surveillance video that appears to show him hitting someone off-camera.

He then admitted it “looked like he was” hitting the inmate “but claimed he did not remember doing so,” the McAlester News-Capital reported.

Four other prison guards were charged with trying to cover up the assault by not documenting it in incident reports.

The Department of Corrections said the five guards were suspended with pay and the inmate moved to another prison, The Oklahoman reported.