By The Associated Press
PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama sheriff says one of his deputies has been fired for choking an inmate who cursed at him.
Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor tells reporters that 48-year-old Stephon Lopez Parker was fired Monday. He says witness accounts and surveillance video disproved Parker’s account.
The sheriff says Parker and another deputy were loading inmates into a van after court Friday when Parker pinned Johnathan McLendon against a wall. The 34-year-old man suffered a bruised and a reddened neck.
Parker has posted bail and been released. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.