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Former Cook County Jail Guard Charged With Punching Inmate

By Dong Jin Oh | October 21, 2016 2:21pm

CHICAGO — A former Cook County Jail guard has been indicted on a federal civil rights charge for using unreasonable force against a detainee while on duty in 2011, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Robert Dartt, 46, of Jacksonville, Fla. is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of filing a false report.

The indictment said Dartt used "unreasonable force" to subdue the detainee in the holding area on Oct. 31, 2011, injuring the detainee in the process.

A surveillance footage, which was released by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in April, shows Dartt entering the holding cell and immediately striking the inmate's face with his right hand. He then pushes the inmate to the corner of the cell where he subdues him to the ground.

The video appears to show Dartt kicking and stomping on the inmate's head as four other officers stand behind and observe the incident. 

After more than a minute of confrontation, Dartt and the officers leave the inmate on the ground of the bullpen uncuffed as they walk away.

The inmate was injured in his left eye, according to county documents. 

The false report charges claim Dartt falsified a use of force form and an incident report regarding the event. In the disputed reports, Dartt claimed the detainee took an "aggressive stance" toward him and refused verbal commands.

Dartt further wrote that when the detainee began making threats against him, he brought the detainee to the ground to prevent possible injury to himself or other jail staff in the holding area, the indictment said.

Deprivation of rights is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while filing a false report carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, prosecutors said.

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