3 State Corrections Officers in Miami Accused Of Faking Report

MIAMI, FL -- Three correctional officers at the Dade Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County are facing charges stemming from an incident in which they allegedly faked a report to show that an inmate had a prison shank when he did not.

Capt. Eric Peavey, Jr., Sgt. Lizandro Rodriguez and Correctional Officer Ellen Day were each charged with official misconduct and falsifying an official record relating to a person in state care.

The charges were announced Thursday by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.

Prosecutors said the incident occurred on Dec. 7, 2017, when Rodriguez allegedly falsified a disciplinary report worksheet issued to inmate Lazaro Galvan, who was then housed at Dade Correctional Institution.

"The final version of the DR charged Galvan with possession of an improvised weapon commonly referred to as a shank," prosecutors said.

The inmate was being transferred to another part of the prison, which required that his property be searched.

The report indicated that an officer found the shank in Galvan’s secured locker while he maintained otherwise.

"Several versions of the DR in question were sent via email amongst the charged officers, along with the final version containing a photograph purporting to show the recovered shank," prosecutors said. "Based on the policies and procedures of the FDC, the above described email process is considered very unusual. Generally, an officer hand writes or types a DR, and then the DR is signed and submitted to the captain for his or her review."

The inmate told investigators that he packed his own property and left it at an officer’s station.

"He denied having a shank in his property," said prosecutors, adding that the officer named in the report as having discovered the shank also denied doing so.

"The investigation determined, by additional correctional officer interviews and review of surveillance footage, that Galvan’s version of the Dec. 7, 2017 events was authentic," according to prosecutors.

"By falsely charging inmate Galvan with possession of a weapon, the charged correctional officers knew, or had reason to know, that Galvan was subjected to segregation from the general population of Dade Correction Institution, a loss of visitation, and a loss of privileges available to other inmates," prosecutors explained. "This DR report could also be a foundation to have inmate Galvan transferred out of Dade Correctional Institution to another correctional institution."