Qualesha Williams, 28, of Ocala, was arrested at the women’s prison shortly after 4 a.m. on a charge of poising food or water.

A corrections officer at Lowell Correctional Institution north of Ocala was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of putting bleach in a tray containing food for an inmate.

Qualesha Williams, 28, of Ocala, was taken into custody at the women’s prison, at 11120 NW Gainesville Road, shortly after 4 a.m. on a charge of poisoning food or water.

In an interview with Inspector Michael Green of the Florida Department of Corrections, Williams said she did put a cleaning agent into a cup, according to a report by the inspector. Williams said she would never hurt anyone on purpose.

Green said that when asked why she did it, Williams wrote a note, which was quoted in the report and appears to contain grammatical errors, stating: "If I say I was trying to maintain my quad do I get to keep job cause God knows I was and never will ever hurt anyone."

Williams was transported to the Marion County Jail for booking and subsequently released.

Lowell officials contacted the FDOT inspector general’s office when they were told Williams had contaminated a food tray with bleach before serving it to an inmate.

Another officer saw Williams spray bleach on an empty inmate drink cup while preparing breakfast for inmates at the prison, according to Green’s report. Williams is accused of telling an inmate orderly, "That one is special," while placing the cup to the side.

Williams volunteered to feed the lower cells of the two-story dormitory, where the target inmate was housed, according to information obtained by the inspector.

Green reviewed video and audio showing Williams and the inmate arguing earlier in the shift. The inmate called Williams derogatory names, and Williams told her, "I got something for you," according to the report.

The video shows Williams picked up a food tray and went past other cells and put the tray on a door flap at that inmate’s cell, according to Green’s report. Officials said Williams went by that cell door, placed the food tray into what’s called an extended port box, and put a drink cup inside the box.

They said Williams could be seen at the food cart close to her target’s cell door trying to conceal her activity.

After delivering that tray, Williams went to the cart, picked up other food trays and gave food to other inmates.

When the inmate received the tray, she smelled "a strong odor of bleach" on it, the report said. The inmate told Williams about the smell, but Williams reportedly ignored her and left the area.

The incident was reported to another officer, who also smelled bleach. That officer detected what appeared to be bleach on and within the food on the tray, officials said. The officer then reported it to a lieutenant, and the inmate was given a new food tray.

In the last few years, Lowell has had several incidents in which corrections officers and employees have been arrested for various issues involving inmates.

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division met with family members and loved ones of inmates at Lowell to get their statements about alleged sexual abuse there. In the meeting, government officials said that if their investigation uncovered other allegations they might expand the probe. They noted the investigation would take months.

There is no word on whether that investigation is ongoing.

In August 2019, inmate Cheryl Weimar was badly beaten by four officers, according to a federal lawsuit filed in the case. Weimar was paralyzed.

One of the accused officers, Lt. Keith Turner, was later fired when he was arrested in November on sexual offenses. The criminal case is ongoing.

Weimar’s injury is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Former inmates and others are planning a protest outside the prison from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

— Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.