BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Martè announced Friday a corrections officer at the jail had been fired after using excessive force against an inmate on Jan. 31.
The incident started when inmate Marcus Ford complained of health issues and got checked out by the jail's nurse on site. The nurse recommended he should be transferred to a medical observation cell.
After officers asked Ford to walk from a holding cell to the observation cell several times, he refused and threatened them with violence.
"As soon as you step in this room, it's going down," Ford told officers at one point. Officers continued to try to get him to the medical cell without an issue, but he continued to threaten them.
"I've been wanting to fight," Ford said. "You better know how to handle your weight because I'm gonna knock one of y'all (expletive) out."
Body camera video shows Ford start fighting when officers enter the holding cell.
Click here to watch the full body camera footage. Warning: It is graphic and may be hard to watch for some viewers.
Once the officers have Ford restrained, one of them, James Mitchell, realizes he's bleeding from a split lip. Mitchell then takes multiple additional punches at Ford's head.
Sheriff Martè said Ford suffered a broken nose and orbital bone during the fight.
The Jail Commander conducted a mandatory use of force review in the incident, and Martè ordered an internal investigation, along with an independent investigation by the Indiana State Police to determine if there were crimes committed.
After completing the internal investigation, Martè fired Mitchell, saying he failed to "follow the high standards of the office that require de-escalation whenever possible."
The Monroe County Prosecutor's Office determined no criminal charges would be filed in the case.