David Coffey, Prisoner At Tioga Jail Apparently Beaten By Top Cop

by The 1 | July 22, 2012 at 07:22 am

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/jail-beating-video-released_n_1344272.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Surveillance footage was released Tuesday showing a New York jail official savagely beating an inmate, which resulted in a $62,500 settlement and the cop's resignation.

In the video, Tioga County Jail's top cop, Lt. David Monell allegedly said, "You're going to regret this day," and then threw at least six haymakers at inmate David Coffey before he appeared to choke the man for about 10 seconds, the footage obtained byGannett shows.

Coffey had been pepper-sprayed moments before the video begins because of "uncooperative behavior,"sheriff's deputies told the paper in September 2010, when the incident occurred. Corrections officials then chained Coffey to a wooden bench before Monell approached.

Coffey suffered a gouged eye and an infection that went untreated for months in jail, abrasions on his face and neck and a swollen jaw.

"You wouldn't treat a dog like that," said Coffey's attorney, William Friedlander, who filed a federal lawsuit against the sheriff's office and Monell on the inmate's behalf.

The lawsuit resulted in a $62,500 settlement in January, $50,000 of which is being paid by Tioga County taxpayers.

In a bizarre twist, Monell was awarded by the New York State Senate as the "2010 Correction Officer of the Year" -- one day after the beating. The next day after that, Monell resigned.

District Attorney Gerald Keene never filed charges against Monell, citing the resignation as "enough -- he didn't need to have charges brought against him."

It's unclear why Monell attacked Coffey in the first place, though he alleged that the inmate spit at him at one point during the incident.