Judge Finds Force Reasonable
Acquit CO in Inmate Beating

By REUVEN BLAU

A Bronx Supreme Court Justice has dismissed charges against a Correction Officer accused of beating an inmate after another prisoner slashed another officer in the face.

NORMAN SEABROOK: Justice finally prevailed.

The Bronx District Attorney's Office charged that Correction Officer Joseph Collins punched the inmate, Sequan Prude, in the face and later filed an erroneous use-of-force report which said that the prisoner threatened him.

Judge: Concern Justified

Justice Margaret F. Clancy, however, ruled that the video from the Oct. 5, 2006 incident showed that Officer Collins believed he was being threatened by the inmate, who was taped walking around at the chaotic scene after the stabbing.

The clash started after inmate Kenneth Robinson used a sharpened part of his watch to slash Correction Officer Alan Gold's face at the Anna M. Kross Center mental health observation unit on Rikers Island. Officers Collins and Nicholas Zito and several other officers came to the aid of their colleague.

According to the Department of Investigation, Officer Zito, who was near the assault, ran to the control room and turned off cameras taping the area. A recording of what occurred surfaced later, however. The criminal charges against Officer Zito are still pending.

COBA Photo VINDICATED BUT NOT MADE WHOLE: Despite his acquittal by a Bronx judge, Correction Officer Joseph Collins is still feeling the effects of being indicted for alleged excessive force against an inmate. 'I lost my home, my vehicle, a lot of personal stuff, and it caused me a lot of other personal problems,' he said in a statement.

Correction Officers' Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook hailed Judge Clancy's decision to toss the charges against Officer Collins. "This case is yet another clear example of the Department distorting the facts in bringing charges against Correction Officers without merit," he said in a statement. "We believed Correction Officer Collins was innocent from the beginning and we are very pleased that after two years, justice has finally been served."

Had Faced Four Years

Officer Collins had been charged with assault, official misconduct, harassment and filing a false business record, a felony. He was facing up to four years in prison.

The Bronx DA's Office has also charged Capt. Anastasia Henderson with lying about seeing Officer Collins punch the inmate. Ms. Henderson has denied witnessing the assault.

A source who viewed the video of the incident said that the tape showed she was nearby, but was not facing Officer Collins when he punched the inmate.

Officer Collins called the entire experience a "nightmare." In a statement issued via his union, he added, "I lost my home, my vehicle, a lot of personal stuff, and it caused me a lot of other personal problems."

The source also noted that Officer Collins acknowledged punching the inmate in his initial written use-of-force report. Officer Collins said the department never sat down with him to ask what happened. "They just had me locked up," he remarked. "I felt like I was ruined."