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Former correctional officer charged with using force to punish detainees and submitting a false incident report

ELKINS — Adam Joseph Neal Graham, 26, of Elkins, was charged in a three-count indictment with violating the rights of two pretrial detainees at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail (TVRJ) and obstructing justice, acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.

The indictment charges that Graham, while serving as a TVRJ correctional officer, assaulted and injured two pretrial detainees, and then submitted a false incident report to cover up his use of unlawful force. The indictment alleges that Graham assaulted a detainee on February 15, 2015, and assaulted a second detainee on March 9, 2015.

If convicted of assaulting a pretrial detainee, Graham faces up to 10 years for each violation. Graham also faces up to 20 years for allegedly submitting a false incident report.

Special Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorney Olimpia E. Michel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah W. Montoro of the Northern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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