Amy K Nixon

The Tennessean

A Clarksville man accused of assaulting an inmate with a stun gun while on duty as a jailer for the Cheatham County Sheriff's Department was indicted Wednesday.

At the request of 23rd District Attorney General Ray Crouch, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents began investigating Mark Bryant, 39, on Aug. 3, shortly after surveillance video surfaced of an incident inside the jail on Nov. 5, 2016.

► RELATED:3 deputies placed on leave after lawsuit claims excessive force was used on teen inmate

According to a release from the TBI, the investigation revealed that, on that date, corrections officers removed an inmate, Jordan Elias Norris, 19, from his booking cell after he become violent toward himself and other inmates. While being restrained in the jail’s restraint chair, Norris was able to loosen one arm, after which the investigation said Bryant used a stun gun on the Norris at least four times, one instance of which lasted approximately 25 seconds.

Norris has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing Bryant, Josh Marriott and Jeff Key of deprivation of civil rights, citing the use of excessive force and failure to protect. He suffered more than 40 pairs of Taser burns, many of which are unaccounted for by authorities, the lawsuit states

On Tuesday, the Cheatham County grand jury returned indictments charging Bryant with four counts of aggravated assault and one count of official misconduct.

"As sheriff, I am saddened this happened within our jail," said Cheatham County Sheriff Michael Breedlove in a statement. "We have taken all necessary steps to prevent this from happening again. On my watch, excessive force will never be tolerated.

"Cheatham countians have been so supportive of their sheriff's office and its dedicated employees. A terrible mistake was made and has been addressed. Because of this, we have become better servants. We will always do our best to protect all citizens including inmates in our facility."

On Wednesday, authorities arrested Bryant and booked him into the Cheatham County Jail on $75,000 bond.

Bryant has been terminated, said Breedlove. Marriott and Key, the two other corrections officers involved in the lawsuit, remain on administrative leave.

The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Amy Nixon, editor of The Ashland City Times, can be reached at anixon@gannett.com or 615-946-7549.

