Appearing before Judge Robert L. Vining Jr. in U.S. District Court in Rome, Joshua David Lowe of Aragon pleaded guilty to the charge stemming from an incident at the jail in February.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Gray, a man was arrested by the Rockmart Police Department on Feb. 7 and brought into the jail for booking. Lowe, one of the jail officers working at the time, allegedly exchanged words with the suspect, who was very upset during the arrest and booking process.
At one point, Lowe “punched the victim in the head and face area,” according to Gray. Shortly after, while in a restraining chair because of his tumultuous behavior, the victim was apparently elbowed by Lowe and then punched multiple times around the head and face.
The inmate was injured and bleeding, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment of facial injuries.
Vining accepted Lowe’s guilty plea and went over the plea document with Lowe and his attorney. He then scheduled the sentencing in the case for Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Gray said federal prosecutors got involved after the information was sent to the FBI by Polk County Sheriff Kelly McClendon.
“The Polk Sheriff’s Office should be commended for their part in this,” Gray said. “They investigated the incident immediately and referred the case to the FBI.”
Lowe was terminated from the Polk County Jail as a result of the incident.
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