Former Alabama correctional officer convicted in 2018 inmate beating

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A jury has convicted a former Alabama correctional officer of federal charges in connection with the 2018 beating of an inmate. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that 37-year-old Devlon Williams, a former sergeant with the Alabama Department of Corrections, was convicted of deprivation of rights under color of law, falsification of records and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said Williams repeatedly punched and kicked an inmate at Staton Correctional Facility who was on the ground and not resisting or posing a threat. The DOJ has an ongoing civil lawsuit against Alabama, contending state inmates face unconstitutional levels of violence from inmate-on-inmate attacks and a pattern of excessive force by officers. The state has disputed the allegations.