ELYRIA, Ohio — A Lorain County corrections officer has been arrested for assaulting an inmate and faces possible termination from his job.
According to a release by the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, the investigation into 51-year-old Ruben Ortiz stemmed from an incident that allegedly happened on Aug. 25 at the Lorain County Jail.
At around 11:20 a.m. on that day, an inmate at the jail was in the booking area preparing to be taking to another facility for a court-ordered psychological examination. The inmate was told by a sheriff's deputy that he needed to be handcuffed, but the inmate refused. Ortiz stepped in to assist, placing a body chain around the inmate when the inmate again refused to be handcuffed.
The sheriff's office reports that when Ortiz tried to take a bag out of the inmate's right hand to cuff him, the inmate yelled at Ortiz, beginning an "altercation." Ortiz is said then to have utilized force against the inmate, who was later seen and cleared by the jail's medical staff.
Ortiz was placed on paid administrative leave as the sheriff's office initiated both a criminal and an administrative investigation into the incident. As a result of the criminal investigation and with the recommendation of the Elyria City Prosecutor's Office, Ortiz was charged with one count of assault and one count of falsification. Both charges are misdemeanors. The sheriff's office says the falsification charge stemmed from statements Ortiz made during the criminal investigation "which were found not to be consistent with the results of the investigation."
While Ortiz waits for his appearance in Elyria Municipal Court on October 25, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office says administrative charges can now move forward "which could result in discipline up to and including termination."
"It is important to note that these actions are not consistent with the policies, procedures and expectations at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office. In the last two years all corrections officers employed by the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office received training in Jail Risk Management, Escorting Inmates, Use of Force in Corrections, Supervising Inmates, Mental Health in Jails, and other related training," the sheriff's office added in the release.