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The DeKalb County Jail. Source: Google Street View

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that Dwight Hamilton, a former sergeant at the DeKalb County Jail, was sentenced to one year in prison for abusing a female inmate by tasing her for no reason.

His former supervisor, Leonard Dreyer, on Feb. 6 was sentenced to 21 days of confinement in a halfway house for trying to obstruct the federal inquiry into Hamilton’s actions. He made false statements to the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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“Abuse of power by any law enforcement officer is always unacceptable,”  U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak said in a press release. “Law enforcement officers stand in the gap every day to keep us safe, whether they are patrolling a beat, or a correctional officer working in a jail or prison. Hamilton’s conduct is not reflective of how we expect officers to conduct themselves. In this country, even those incarcerated have the right to fair treatment and decency.”

According to the U.S. attorney, Hamilton, 54, admitted that on Nov. 1, 2011 he went to the medical floor of the jail after an inmate asked to speak to a supervisor because the jail had unexpectedly cancelled her family visitation.

“Rather than explain the situation to the inmate, Hamilton tased the inmate until she defecated on herself,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Hamilton, who had been trained on proper Taser usage, admitted that he knew that tasing the inmate under these circumstances was wrong but did it anyway. As a result of the tasing, the inmate suffered permanent scarring to her breast.”

When Hamilton is released from prison he will be under federal supervision for three years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2017.

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