Former Oklahoma officer allowed white supremacists to attack Black inmates

Officer sentenced on Monday to 46 months in federal jail

OKLAHOMA CITY — A former white Oklahoma correctional officer was sentenced to virtually 4 years for selling the attack on Black inmates by white supremacists.

Matthew Ware, 53, a former Kay County Detention Center officer, was convicted in April in federal courtroom for violating the civil rights of the three Black detainees. Ware’s federal jail sentence handed down on Monday is adopted by three years of supervised launch.

“A jury found that Mr. Ware abused his position of power over the individuals in his custody,” mentioned U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma in a ready assertion. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for that conduct.”

Ware violated the legal guidelines he was sworn to uphold, betrayed the general public belief, and dishonored the various courageous corrections officers who lawfully carry out their essential work every day, Troester’s assertion reads. 

On May 18, 2017, Ware ordered lower-ranking correctional officers to transfer two Black pretrial detainees to a cell row that housed white supremacist inmates, in accordance to trial testimony.

Ware ordered the jail cells to be unlocked on the identical time main the white supremacist inmates to attack the Black males.  One detainee sustained a facial laceration that required seven stitches, trial testimony confirmed.

In one other violation, on Jan. 31, 2018, Ware ordered {that a} detainee’s left wrist was to be cuffed to the far-left facet of the bench and his proper wrist cuffed to the far-right facet of the bench calling for his physique to be stretched out, trial testimony confirmed. 

This act was in retaliation for the inmate sending Ware a notice critiquing how Ware ran the detention middle. The inmate was left restrained on this place for 90 minutes, leading to bodily damage, trial testimony confirmed.

Ware is being held accountable for abusing his place of energy and authority to, amongst different issues, facilitate an attack carried out by white supremacists on a Black inmate, mentioned Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General.