State Corrections Officer arrested for allegedly beating inmate at Jacksonville hospital

Jacksonville, FL — A state Corrections Officer is accused of beating a shackled inmate at a Jacksonville hospital, shortly after that inmate had surgery.

Brandon Scott Brewer has been arrested for battery on an inmate and official misconduct. The affidavit for the arrest warrant says the incident happened in June, although Brewers arrest took place this month.

The affidavit says an inmate was at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, and had his gall bladder removed and a hernia repaired a few days prior to the alleged assault. He was wearing leg irons attached to the hospital bed.

The inmate told investigators that Brewer asked the nurse to step out of the room, closed the door and curtain, and started calling him a child molester, among other things. The affidavit says Brewer then slapped the inmate in the face, pulled the leg irons on his ankles up, and punched him in the face, neck, and head area. In all, the inmate suffered several lacerations and his nose was left bleeding.

Brewer wrote in his Use of Force Report that he entered the inmate’s room to counsel him for “disruptive behavior”, when the inmate became “belligerent” and threatened to kill him. Brewer says the inmate grabbed his shirt, and he ultimately had to use force to break free.

Another officer who was in the room says the inmate had been yelling in to the hall for his medicine, but Brewer’s counseling started “loud” and involved calling the inmate names. That officer says he briefly turned away because he thought he heard his name being called, and by the time he turned back, he saw Brewer punch the inmate twice. The affidavit says the officer didn’t believe Brewer’s story that the inmate had grabbed him, instead saying the inmate had been “meek as a kitten”.

A nurse was also briefly in the room, before Brewere asked her to leave. She told investigators she heard an argument between the inmate and Brewer, heard the inmate say the officer wasn’t allowed to touch him, heard chains rattling, and a few other things- and she then tuned out. There is also video from just outside of the room.

Ultimately, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General investigator determined there was probable cause Brewer committed the battery and falsified his Use of Force report. As such, he was arrested both for battery on an inmate and official misconduct.

“The actions of this officer were not only unlawful but totally unacceptable, and the Department is moving towards his immediate dismissal,” says a statement from FDC.

WOKV has confirmed Brewer was hired in October 2015, and worked at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler.