Jail Guard Guilty of Beating Female Inmate

Jurors have convicted an Essex County corrections officer of beating a female inmate that was captured on video.

Carlton Clark faces up to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced for aggravated assault and official misconduct in March. His bail was revoked after his conviction on Tuesday.

Jail cameras showed the 40-year-old guard punching 20-year-old Emirlene Philemon in the head after returning her to her cell from a trip to the medical unit in 2011.

The defense claimed the inmate had swung first.

Clark's attorney, Anthony Iacullo, tells The Star-Ledger of Newark he and his client are disappointed with the verdict and will appeal.

“How do you think her civil lawsuit would fare if she got on the stand and said she threw the first punch, which she did,” Iacullo said in his closings, according to the paper. “She had a quarter million reasons to lie and she used every one of them.”

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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