Former Alabama jailer indicted in federal court on charges of beating handcuffed man

LUVERNE, Ala. — A federal grand jury indicted a former jail administrator on charges of beating a handcuffed incarcerated person in an Alabama jail and then lying about it to state and federal law enforcement, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

Christian Alexander Porter, 33, is accused of beating an unnamed handcuffed man who was incarcerated at the Crenshaw County Jail in October 2021, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the Alabama capital of Montgomery, according to a statement from prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Alabama.

In subsequent months, Porter then wrote a ''false and misleading'' use of force report and lied to state and federal investigators, saying that the handcuffed inmate ''charged'' at Porter in an examination room at the jail, according to the indictment.

Porter ''falsely stated that after taking (the inmate) to the ground again'' he didn't do anything else, "when in truth and in fact, as defendant Porter then knew, he struck (the inmate) while (the inmate) was on the ground," the indictment said.

Federal defenders representing Porter did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Porter is facing three charges: one count of deprivation of rights under the law, one count of falsifying records, and one count of witness tampering. If he is found guilty, Porter faces up to 10 years for the civil rights violation, up to 20 years for the falsification of records, and up to five years for lying to federal investigators.

Porter's trial is set to begin in August 2025.