Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall’s office admits to cuffing a 32-year-old inmate moments before they took him to the ground in an apparent assault. They immediately cleared him medically, citing ‘no injuries’ in their report – however a local hospital says he suffered 5 broken ribs – and the Sheriff refuses to release the video. Three of the officers involved in this inmate assault are currently involved in at least one federal lawsuit where they are also accused of beating a cuffed inmate. Early this year, a DCSO Officer was arrested for the assault of yet another inmate that was restrained in cuffs and leg irons.
According to documents received from the Sheriff’s Office (copies below), on February 28th at 5:10 p.m., Sgt. Scott Satterlee was assisting with a search at the intake desk when heard Sgt. Robert Gilmer verbally direct inmate David Sanders in the direction of an intake holding cell. Sgt. Satterlee reports Sanders proceeded to walk in the direction of Sgt. Gilmer in “what appeared to be in an aggressive manner”, instead of going toward the holding cell.
Sgt. Satterlee, along with Cpl. Corrice Thompson, left the intake desk to assist with the inmate. As they approached, they ordered Sanders to place his hands behind his back, so that he could be restrained with hand cuffs, and all reports concur the inmate complied and placed his hands behind his back, though Satterlee reports he inmate was slamming his fist into his palm at the same time, which he took as a sign of aggression.
Sanders was secured by handcuffs without further issue, and was escorted toward a seclusion cell, at which time, the inmate reportedly began to kick at Cpl. Thompson’s lower leg, near his shin. Immediately, Cpl. Corrice Thompson, Cpl. Jorge Torres, and Sgt. Scott Satterlee placed the handcuffed inmate on the floor, reportedly slamming him so hard they broke 5 of his ribs in the process. He was placed in the ‘felony prone’ position, and leg irons were placed on the inmate, at which point he was placed in the seclusion cell, a photo was taken of his face for the use of force report, and a CNA from medical staff cleared him of any injuries. Lt. William Gise was present and observed.
According to the Use of Force report (below), the inmate was “cleared of any injury” by who they list as “NURSE ASHLEY MOSLEY”. In the state of Tennessee, there are only two health care providers with the name of “Ashley Mosley”, and both hold the title of CNA/Nurse Aid, not nurse, and neither legally allowed to make any such diagnosis. It was not immediately clear which of the two ‘Ashley Mosley’s” was working at the jail that day, but only one of them has a valid non-expired license with the state as a ‘nurse aid’.
The Use of Force report indicates that the incident was captures on two cameras, and are ‘attached’ as a supplement to the report, however Sheriff Daron Hall has refused to provide either video, citing a state law that allows for video to be withheld that may show ‘security layouts’ of government buildings. We have asked to view a copy of the video while we await an appeal on releasing it under the open records laws, and that request is currently being reviewed by Metro Nashville’s legal department.
Below are all known documents related to the incident, except the video, which was denied by Sheriff Daron Hall.
Satterlee, Thompson, and Torres are also named in a new federal suit that alleges in September, an inmate was being booked into the Davidson County Jail when he was attacked without provocation by several correctional officers, slammed to the ground, kicked in the eye, and sprayed with pepper spray while he was already in leg irons and hand cuffs. He was told that “additional charges would be added,” but no charges based on this incident were brought against him. As a result of the alleged assault, Plaintiff sustained a black eye, a “deep bone bruise,” and burns from the pepper spray.
In justifying their denial of our request to view the video, which is listed as an attachment and supplement to the use of force and incident reports above, we received a copy of this email, which they had sent WTVF several years ago in a similar request:
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Open in new tab To date, Sheriff Daron Hall still refuses to release the video.
