Ex-jail guard pleads guilty to beating inmate who later died

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A former eastern Kentucky jail guard has pleaded guilty to beating an inmate who later died.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports (http://bit.ly/2fUuwMP) 39-year-old Damon Wayne Hickman and another former guard at the Kentucky River Regional Jail in Hazard were charged last year with beating inmate Larry Trent and then failing to get medical care for him.

An indictment says the two jailers left a bloody Trent in his cell without seeking treatment for him. Hours later, another jail employee found Trent wasn’t breathing.

Hickman pleaded guilty Wednesday to using excessive force against Trent, failing to get medical help for him, and putting a false entry in a log book indicating Trent was ok after the assault, when he wasn’t.

Hickman faces up to 40 years in prison when sentenced in February.

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