Ex-inmate speaks after Cook County Jail guard charged in beating

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An inmate whose beating at the hands of a Cook County corrections officer was captured on video spoke Monday.[br /][br /]The guard now faces a felony charge.[br /][br /]These days, Litroy Bolton spends his time taking care of his 9-month-old son. But two years ago, Bolton was serving time in the Cook County Jail, in custody for a marijuana charge that was later dropped. Surveillance video shows Bolton getting punched several times by a Cook County correctional officer.[br /][br /]"I had a swollen face, a few knots in the back of the head, headaches for the three weeks I was there," Bolton said.[br /][br /]Speaking for the first time since the January 2014 incident, 29-year-old Bolton said he was beaten after questioning Officer Miguel Ortiz for insisting Bolton be placed in a cell that had been used to quarantine a sick inmate.[br /][photo ID="1448435" /][br /]"He said, 'You are going to get in the cell or I'm going to put you in the cell anyways,'" Bolton said.[br /][br /]According to a lawsuit filed Monday by Bolton, Ortiz continued to assault him after other guards intervened to handcuff Bolton. The 44-year-old guard was charged last week with one felony count of official misconduct. Bolton and his attorneys want to know why it took so long for charges, especially, they say, since Bolton filed a grievance in the days after the incident.[br /][br /]"Unfortunately, in this case of Officer Ortiz, that delay can't just be measured in time, it's measured in the assault of other inmates as well," said Vince Fields, Bolton's attorney.[br /][br /]Attorneys said records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that Ortiz assaulted 10 other Cook County Jail inmates in the 13 months following the Bolton attack. The Cook County Sheriff's Office disputes the numbers. A spokesperson says it is "inaccurate to suggest Ortiz is a serial abuser."[br /]vimeo ID="176514647" /][br /][Ads /][br /]Ortiz, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff's office, is also charged with misdemeanor battery in the incident. He would lose his pension if convicted of the felony. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.[br /][br /]On Jan. 17, 2014, Bolton refused to get into a cell in a medium-security wing of the Cook County Jail. As he stood with his arms crossed, Ortiz grabbed Bolton, and he fell backwards.[br /][br /]The video showed Bolton did nothing to antagonize Ortiz, who repeatedly punched Bolton in the head, sheriff's investigators allege.[br /][br /]The video contradicted Ortiz's statement that the detainee took a fighting stance before he was struck, investigators said, determining that Ortiz used excessive force.[br /][br /]The inmate was taken to the hospital at the Cook County Jail. His eye was swollen, but he wasn't seriously injured, officials said.[br /][Ads /][br /]The next day, Bolton signed a complaint seeking Ortiz' firing for "beating me in the face and for banging my head against the ground."[br /][br /]The Cook County Sheriff's Office moved to fire Ortiz on March 11, four months after investigators found he used excessive force. He's on unpaid leave while his case is pending before the independent Merit Board, which decides discipline for sheriff's employees.[br /]On Wednesday, the Cook County State's Attorney's office approved criminal charges against Ortiz, who turned himself in Thursday morning.[br /][br /]Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has released the videos of the Ortiz beating as part of an effort to boost transparency about what happens in the jail, according to the sheriff's office.[br /][br /]In April, the office released six videos involving 13 officers. Six of them have been fired for misconduct, according to Ben Breit, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. The sheriff sought to fire a seventh officer, but the Merit Board reduced his punishment to a 180-day suspension. Three more officers have been fired since then, Breit said.[br /][Ads /][br /]In June, the office released four more videos showing inmates attacking correctional officers. Several of the attacks landed the officers in the hospital. From January 2015 to the end of June, investigations have led to criminal charges against more than 160 inmates for aggravated battery to a police officer.[br /][br /]Still, it's unusual for a correctional officer to be fired - or face criminal charges. More than 1,100 excessive force complaints have been filed against jail employees over the past seven years. Nine percent of the complaints were sustained, and 4 percent of the complaints resulted in suspensions of a day to a month, the Better Government Association reported in May. A tiny fraction resulted in firings or charges.[br /][br /]The Ortiz beating was captured on two video cameras - which are among 2,500 fixed cameras in the jail, officials said. Correctional officers also wear body cameras and use handheld cameras to document tense situations, Breit said.[br /][br /][i]The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.[/i]