Noblesville resident Jorge Alberto Mateos, 26, a former detention deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Indianapolis, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison May 13 for assaulting an inmate.
According to a press release from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Mateos had previously pleaded guilty to a felony civil rights offense for unreasonable use of force against an inmate in his care.
According to court documents, on the evening of Sept. 9, 2021, Mateos was on duty as a detention deputy at the Marion County Jail. During the shift, deputies ordered an inmate at the facility to remove his jail-issued shoes. The inmate kicked off his shoes and sat in the corner of his cell. In response, Mateos entered the cell and told the inmate something to the effect of, “When a deputy tells you to do something, you need to do it.”
Mateos then struck the inmate in the face multiple times, during which time the inmate did not try to resist or fight back. Mateos continued to strike the inmate after he fell to the ground. According to court documents, other detention deputies attempted to deescalate the situation, separated the inmate and Mateos and placed the inmate in handcuffs. Mateos then struck the inmate several additional times. As a result, the inmate sustained injuries.
The FBI investigated the case. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Pratt ordered Mateos be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for one year following his release from prison. Pratt also ordered Mateos to begin serving his sentence immediately.
