Four years after an Isabella County jail inmate was assaulted by Christopher Cluley, the former corrections officer was sentenced on misdemeanor charges.
“The transfer was the result of a verbal disagreement between the inmate and another corrections officer,” read a statement from Michigan Attorney General's Office.
“Once the inmate was standing just outside of the cell, video evidence shows Cluley grabbed the inmate, spun him around and pushed him into the cell door before then pushing him into the wall next to the cell door. Then, after walking the inmate to the new cell, Cluley pushed the inmate to the ground, where the inmate cried out in pain upon crashing to the floor."
Cluley accepted a no-contest plea offer, meaning he did not admit guilt, but accepted that a jury could possibly find him guilty if the case were to go to trial.
"My office remains committed to ensuring officers who violate their oaths to protect and serve are held accountable,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news release.
Cluely will serve one year of probation, take anger management classes and agreed to not work again in the Michigan corrections system.
John Freeman, Cluley’s attorney, said his client is satisfied with the outcome.
“This really represented a very positive way for him to put it all behind him without admitting any wrongdoing. It allows him to avoid the consequences of a felony conviction, and it really was an offer that he couldn't refuse,” Freeman said.
Freeman said context involving the inmate and events surrounding the assault were not conveyed in the Attorney General’s description of the cell transfer.
“I take exception to it because it is a mischaracterization of the evidence that was introduced at the preliminary exam," Freeman said. "There's a totally different side to the version of events that were put forth by the Attorney General's office.”
The Attorney General’s office did not respond to our request for comment.
