Lee Correctional officer charged in 'excessive use of force incident'

A correctional officer at Lee Correctional Institution was arrested Friday and charged with excessive use of force.

Antonio Lavar Burns was charged with third-degree assault and battery, according to a statement released Friday afternoon by the S.C. Department of Corrections in what the agency described as an "excessive use of force incident."

According to an arrest warrant, Burns on April 28 stomped on an inmate's abdomen while the victim was handcuffed and lying on the floor. Burns is from Columbia, according to the warrant.

Last month, seven inmates were killed in this maximum-security prison just outside rural Bishopville.

This story was originally published May 11, 2018 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Lee Correctional officer charged in 'excessive use of force incident'."