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INDIANAPOLIS — A former Marion County detention deputy has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a restrained inmate who was in his care.
Jorge Alberto Mateos, 26, of Noblesville pleaded guilty on Friday to a felony civil rights offense for his unreasonable use of force against an inmate in his care, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana.
Court documents state that Mateos was on duty the evening of Sept. 9, 2021, at the Marion County Jail when he ordered an inmate to remove his jail-issued shoes. After the inmate kicked off his shoes, Mateos is said to have entered the cell and said something to the effect of, “When a deputy tells you to do something, you need to do it,” before assaulting the inmate.
Mateos reportedly struck the inmate several times in the face, during which time the inmate didn’t try to resist or fight back. Mateos continued to beat the inmate until he fell to the ground and other deputies arrived and separated the two. Court documents reveal Mateos then struck the inmate several additional times even though the inmate had been placed in handcuffs.
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal issued a statement on the sentencing stating, “Deputy sheriffs and detention deputies take an oath. So have I. If you use unnecessary force against someone in your custody, you must be held accountable.”
As part of Mateos’ sentence, U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ordered Mateos to one year of probation following his release from prison. Mateos was taken into custody at the conclusion of the hearing and ordered to begin his sentence immediately.
“These crimes dishonor our profession and erode trust in the honorable law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep the community safe,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Abuses of the public trust are a special category of wrongs to be righted. The sentence imposed today demonstrates that this office, the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners will prioritize holding these offenders accountable.”
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