Complaint: Prison guard who injured inmate admits he hit him ‘too much, where I shouldn’t have’

Officers inappropriately entered inmate's cell

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Goldsmith





Two Wisconsin prison guards are facing felony charges related to an incident that took place with guards in an inmate’s cell the same day that the inmate spit on the guards, according to a document filed in Columbia County court Thursday.

The criminal complaint alleges that 63-year-old Russell G. Goldsmith, of Westfield, and 46-year-old Michael J. Thompson, of Endeavor, were working as correctional officers at the Columbia County Correctional Institution in Portage when they entered an inmate’s cell, claiming to do a welfare check, but used excessive force and injured the inmate.

According to the complaint, the inmate said he spat on Goldsmith while he was working on Oct. 25, and on Oct. 26, he spat on another officer. He said Goldsmith threatened him after both incidents, telling him he was a “dead man,” that he was going to “take his head off” and, after the second spitting incident, that the inmate was going to have “a rough night.”

Another correctional officer told investigators he and two other captains had formed a plan to deal with the spitting incidents but that Goldsmith wasn’t aware of the plan. He also said that he saw Goldsmith and Thompson entering the inmate’s cell.

The complaint said the inmate told investigators that he had pulled a sheet, which Goldsmith had placed over the trapdoor on his cell after the spitting incidents, into his cell and was tearing it up, planning to disable his trapdoor, but that a guard spotted him, so he returned the sheet to the trap. He said he turned on the light in his cell so officers could see he wasn’t trying to harm himself with it, since he was not allowed to have sheets at that time. He said the officers entered his cell anyway, knocking him to the floor with a shield, punching and kneeing him. He said he was in the fetal position and said he told them he wasn’t resisting. He said it felt like someone was trying to rip his eyes out. Someone also bent his fingers in directions they don’t go. He was removed from his cell and placed in a restraint chair. He said he felt like he was being choked and he felt like he couldn’t breathe and was gasping for air. A spit mask was placed on him and he was put in front of a camera.

According to the complaint, Goldsmith claimed in his report about the incident that he saw the inmate in the corner of his cell with a sheet around his neck, and that the inmate was unresponsive, showing no signs of life, which is why he entered the cell. He said as soon as he entered, the inmate jumped to his feet in a boxer’s stance.

Goldsmith didn’t say in his report that he had injured his hand, but on the video of the restrained inmate, Goldsmith is seen shaking his hand as if it hurt, according to the complaint. Another officer said he saw Goldmith’s hand was red and part of his finger appeared swollen. An officer provided a cold pack for Goldsmith to hold on his hand.

The complaint said Goldsmith reportedly admitted to hitting the inmate with his fist a couple of times, “which I shouldn’t of did ya know, but I admit what I did.”

Goldsmith admitted that after thinking about it over the weekend, the sheet was retrieved from the trap box, not the floor, which he had written in his report. According to the complaint, “He couldn’t account then for how it got from the floor to the trap again.”

The complaint said Goldsmith didn’t know how many times he hit the inmate and that he loses it sometimes when he is in a fighting situation, but said he struck him “too much” and “where I shouldn’t have.”

A captain said he had intentionally kept Goldsmith out of the unit where the inmate was because of the spitting incident the day before, and he told Goldsmith that he didn’t want him by the inmate.

An investigator said the entry to the cell was not warranted, and any use of force would be considered excessive.

The complaint said the inmate suffered injuries to his eyes, ribcage, back, thumb and ring finger.

Goldsmith was charged with felony party to the crime of abusing a resident of a penal facility and party to the crime of misconduct in office including falsifying a report.

Thompson was charged with felony party to the crime of misconduct in office including falsifying a report.

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