A former Walker County corrections officer admits he tried to cover up an attack on an inmate

WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – A former Walker County corrections officer has agreed to plead guilty to tampering with records in connection with the September 2022 assault of an inmate.

Betty Jo Cooley pleaded guilty to concealing an unreasonable use of force, according to federal court records friend from prison Joshua Connor Jones on the prisoner.

Court documents say Cooley and the inmate argued over cell assignments. That’s when Jones hit the inmate in the face with a metal can of pepper spray so hard that it broke the trigger and sprayed the three with the chemical, according to court documents.

Court records also show that “no legitimate law enforcement purpose justified striking Jones (the inmate) in the face with a metal can.”

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

Jones pleaded guilty to criminal deprivation of rights in that case. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive of rights under the color of law in Inquest into the death of prisoner Tony Mitchell. He has not yet been sentenced in federal court.

Asked for comment, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said, “We decline to comment until the investigation is complete.”

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