Former Walker County corrections officer admits he tried to cover up attack on inmate

WALKER, Alabama (VBRK) – A former Walker County corrections officer has agreed to plead guilty to falsifying records related to a September 2022 assault on an inmate.

Betty Jo Cooley admitted to covering up the unreasonable use of force, according to federal court records. fellow correctional officer Joshua Connor Jones on the prisoner.

Court documents say Cooley and one of the inmates had a disagreement over the allocation of cells. That’s when Jones hit the inmate in the face so hard with a metal can of pepper spray that it broke the trigger, spraying the chemical on all three, according to court documents.

Court records also state, “No legitimate law enforcement purpose justified Jones striking (the inmate) in the face with a metal can.”

After the incident, Jones wrote a false incident report in an attempt to justify his actions, according to federal court records. Once Jones wrote the report, Cooley copied the same story, knowing it was false, to hide the truth from other law enforcement agencies, according to court records.

Jones pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law in this case. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit deprivation of rights under color of law in Inquest into the death of prisoner Tony Mitchell. He has yet to be sentenced in federal court.

When reached for comment, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said, “We decline to comment while the investigation is ongoing.”

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