A former deputy from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office has been indicted on charges related to a civil rights violation that led to the assault of an inmate. Matthew Carey, a 27-year-old from Grove City, has been accused of disclosing sensitive information about an inmate's charges, which ultimately resulted in the inmate being attacked by fellow detainees.
As reported by NBC4i, Carey was arrested following a federal investigation into the incident in March 2022. He has been charged with three counts, including conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under the color of law through unreasonable force, and deprivation of rights under the color of law through deliberate indifference. According to the indictment, Carey was aware that revealing the inmate's charges, specifically sex offense charges, posed a significant risk of assault within the jail environment.
WBNS reported that Carey accessed detainees' "floor cards" while working at the facility. These cards contained information about individual inmates, including pending charges and notes on whether certain inmates should be segregated from others. The indictment specifies that Carey had no legitimate reason to communicate the victim's charges to another detainee.
Further details revealed by ABC6 News include that another inmate, Gmier McCall, implicated Carey in his plea agreement with federal prosecutors. McCall claimed Carey showed him the floor card of the victim and nodded, which McCall interpreted as an implicit directive to either perpetrate an assault or encourage one. The victim suffered serious injuries during the attack, sustaining a neck fracture, lip lacerations, and multiple bruises.
The Sheriff's Office conducted an internal investigation after the initial allegations of misconduct surfaced and subsequently requested FBI assistance. The Sheriff's Office said via ABC6 News that it "has fully cooperated with the FBI throughout the investigation and remains committed to ensuring accountability within our ranks." As the case proceeds to court, officials have said they will not provide further comment. Carey could face a maximum sentence of 30 years if convicted on all charges.
