Former Ohio deputy gets more than 3 years in prison for using excessive force

CINCINNATI, Ohio — A former deputy has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after he was convicted of pushing an inmate so hard that the prisoner split open his head, knocking him unconscious.

Jason Mize, 35, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in January to willful violation of the victim’s Constitutional right to be free from excessive force, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. A judge on Tuesday sentenced Mize to 42 months in prison.

According to prosecutors, a 61-year-old suspect was brought to the Hamilton County Justice Center in August 2016. Prosecutors did not say why the suspect had been arrested.

Mize reportedly walked up from behind the suspect and told him to stand. He then shoved the suspect so hard that the man left his feet and collided headfirst with a concrete wall, losing consciousness, splitting open his head, and breaking his leg, prosecutors say.

A supervisor later asked Mize if there was anyone hurt or if there was use of force. Mize said no, prosecutors say. Mize then reportedly used a curtain to cover a window on the door of the suspect’s cell.

The supervisor later discovered the injured inmate and called for a nurse. Mize reportedly stood outside the cell drinking a soda while the inmate received medical aid, prosecutors say.

Mize had a history of excessive force during his time as a deputy, according to prosecutors, and was disciplined at least three times. Mize resigned in 2016, but in April 2017 wrote “I miss choking people” in a message on Facebook, prosecutors say.

He is accused of lying repeatedly to investigators and of pressuring witnesses to not come forward.