Civil Rights Division
News Release
April 30, 2012
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Former Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s sergeant, Althea Mallisham, 52, has been sentenced to 61 months in prison for civil rights convictions for wrongfully using a Taser against three detainees during separate incidents over a four month period in 2008.
On Nov. 16, 2011, Mallisham pleaded guilty to three felony civil rights offenses at which time she admitted that on separate occasions while she was on duty as a Tuscaloosa Sheriff's sergeant and acting under color of state law, she used an X26 Taser to electro-shock three pre-trial detainees as a means of punishment. In each instance, the pre-trial detainees were either restrained in handcuffs or securely locked in a jail cell. None of the three detainees posed a physical threat to any officers or other detainees when they were electro-shocked. In each instance, Mallisham willfully exceeded and abused her authority under state law.
“Law enforcement officers who abuse their power to maliciously subject those in their custody to extreme pain will be held accountable,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who cross the line to engage in acts of criminal misconduct.”
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