Manatee County Corrections Deputy Fired For Excessive Force

BRADENTON, FL -- A Manatee County corrections deputy has been fired for using excessive force on an inmate who was wearing his blanket like a cape when the deputy allegedly struck him eight times with his knee, punched him and stomped him with his foot, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

"There is no place for this type of behavior in law enforcement," insisted Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells on Thursday. "It will not be tolerated at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.”

An internal investigation conducted by the sheriff's office concluded that Deputy Tyler Lemond of the Corrections Bureau engaged in conduct unbecoming and unlawful conduct in connection with the March 29 incident at the medical pod of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office Central Jail.

The case has been referred to the State Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges.

"While working in the assigned area, inmate Jorge Ajanel was secured in a padded cell by himself," said an internal report prepared by the sheriff's office. "The cell door had been covered with a curtain. Deputy Tyler LeMond, responding to a loud bang from the cell, went to check on Ajanel. He was accompanied by Deputy Angelique Dimas."

That's when LeMond allegedly engaged in what the sheriff's office described as a 42-second struggle.

The internal report noted that LeMond said the inmate had been acting out earlier, but the sheriff's office was unable to verify that.

The deputy acknowledged that he opened the cell door and placed his hand on Ajanel's chest in a "consoling manner." He also acknowledged to delivering "multiple distractionary knee strikes to Ajanel's torso in an attempt to gain compliance."

The sheriff's office said LeMond extended his leg backwards during the knee strikes to generate more force.

"The resulting kinetic force of these knee strikes on several occasions cause Ajanel's head to hit the cell wall when struck," the internal report said.

The sheriff's office also released video of the incident. Watch below:

"No injuries were noted by medical staff when Ajanel was evaluated after the incident," the internal report said.

Internal prison documents revealed that LeMond had used force in nine separate incidents since January, five of which included knee strikes. The sheriff's office said LeMond was involved in 20 documented use of force incidents since August of 2017.

The 48-year-old Ajanel, who has a limited knowledge of English, had been arrested three days prior to the incident for trespassing and failing to appear on a non-violent misdemeanor offense. Neither LeMond or the other deputy who was present spoke Spanish.

He was in the medical unit "detoxing," according to the internal report.

Deputy Majenta Loperena told investigators that Ajanel had not been disruptive when she checked on him earlier the same day but noted that at times he was "out of it."

"When asked if he had been disruptive, she replied 'Not one bit.' She further advised she was shocked to hear of what had happened with the inmate because she had no issues with him throughout the day," the report said.