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Former corrections officer pleads guilty to covering up assault of an inmate

Jail
Posted at 4:42 PM, Jul 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-13 16:47:39-04

ASHLAND, Ky. (LEX 18) — A former Eastern Kentucky Correctional Center (EKCC) officer has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to covering up the assault of an inmate.

Derek A. Mays, 32, of Morehead, pled guilty on Monday, admitting to four counts of obstruction of justice.

In his plea agreement, Mays admitted that in July 2018, he witnessed three other EKCC correctional officers assault an inmate, and then, he falsified records to cover up the assault.

Mays wrote and signed an Occurrence Report that intended to cover up the assault, saying that the inmate had been uncompliant, which was false.

Mays admitted to also lying to his supervisor, a Kentucky State Police detective, and a Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet investigator, on three separate occasions.

Mays was indicted in July 2022 and will be sentenced in March of 2023. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each charge.