Former corrections officer gets probation

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
Updated ·2 min read

May 14—A former Howard County corrections officer who battered an inmate has been sentenced to 18 months.

Colin Byrd will spend nearly all of that time on supervised probation. According to the sentencing order, two days of the 548-day sentence will be served in the Howard County Jail, with the rest suspended and to be served on probation. Byrd has one day of jail credit and another "good day" credit.

Byrd's sentencing, held May 1 in Howard County Circuit Court, comes after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.

Byrd will have to pay restitution of $1,151.96 to the victim. His felony conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation or full payment of restitution, whichever occurs first.

Byrd was initially arrested and charged in January 2023 after police say he "leg swept" a female inmate who was in handcuffs.

According to police, the female inmate needed to be removed from her cell and placed into a restraint due to previous issues, the release stated.

Investigators stated in a press release at the time that the woman was placed in handcuffs and escorted by Byrd to a different cell down the hall.

Once outside that cell, per the release, the female inmate was then leg swept by Byrd and taken to the floor, causing her to suffer a laceration above her right eye that required emergency room medical attention.

Investigators later interviewed Byrd, who said the female pushed into him while they were standing by the cell, according to the media release.

Byrd added he believed he was going to lose control of positioning, so he put his leg in front of the woman and put her on the floor face down, per his interview with police.

In that same interview, Byrd reportedly told investigators he "probably could have handled the situation a little differently and that he didn't mean to take her to the ground so hard," per the release, though he did state he felt he handled himself in a "proper manner."

In the end, investigators concluded the female inmate was placed in handcuffs behind her back and was being escorted inside a secure facility with no chance of escape, the release noted, and the risk to Byrd's safety was minimal.

According to the Howard County Sheriff's Office, Byrd had also been disciplined in the past for a similar use of force incident.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.