ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A former St. Louis City Justice Center corrections officer is charged with Assault after a video appears to show that officer allowing detainees to brutally beat another detainee inside of his cell.
The attorney representing the man who was beaten, Mark Pedroli, says the terminated corrections officer, Demeria Thomas, allowed two detainees into the victim's cell and watched the attack. Additionally, Pedroli alleges Thomas did not get medical help for his client and it wasn't until 48 hours later that a different corrections officer sought medical help and an investigation was launched.
Pedroli says "according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, they accused the correctional officer of purposefully opening his door so that two other inmates, that we don't know where these other inmates came from, were allowed to basically go in and assault and batter my client while he was in his cell."
Pedroli says his client received a broken nose and jaw, a significant concussion, broken teeth and other serious injuries. The two detainees accused of the attack were charged with assault.
Pedroli says doctors released his client "on the condition that he is returned on March 30th to see a particular ENT doctor for, quote-unquote, surgical planning, well, they never brought him back." Pedroli adds, his client is in severe pain and as of Wednesday, June 16th, still had not seen a doctor for follow-up.
Pedroli credits Mayor Tishaura Jones' administration with being transparent and releasing the video of the attack. Pedroli says he's open to speaking with St. Louis Public Safety Director Dan Isom and Mayor Jones, but so far, there's been no contact.
KMOX is waiting for a comment from Isom. Mayor Jones' spokesman Nick Dunne tells KMOX, they are aware of the assault but points out this assault happened on March 22, when Lyda Krewson was mayor and the public safety director was Judge Jimmie Edwards.
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