Former Lexington Correctional Officer Charged with Misconduct in Office

Lexington, SC (WOLO) —The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department says one of their former correctional officers has been accused of misconduct in office.

According to authorities, 29 year old William Emerson Keel, Jr. applied a  restraint maneuver on the neck an inmate during an altercation rendering him unconscious. Based on an arrest warrant, officials say this level of force was not taught to Keel through department training. In addition, officials say Keel failed to provide any medical attention following the alleged incident. Officials say Keel was also involved in a separate physical incident with two other inmates while on duty and according to the arrest warrant did not report the incidents when he we was able to.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department says they began an internal review and when they determined something criminal activity had allegedly taken place SLED was called in to complete a more thorough investigation.

Keel who was hired in October of 2016,  was terminated nearly a year later in October of 2017 for violating Department policy and turned himself into SLED officials Tuesday morning. Keel is currently out on bond.

Stay with ABC Columbia News for updates on air and online.