Prison guard slammed inmate’s face into the floor repeatedly, SC agency says

A South Carolina prison guard lost his job and faces an assault charge after beating an inmate in a prison earlier this year, the Department of Corrections announced Thursday.

Claude Jackson Ellis III, 36, of Lancaster, is charged with third-degree assault and battery, the agency said in a release. The charge stems from an assault that happened Jan. 7 at Kershaw Correctional Institution.

An arrest warrant provided by the Department of Corrections says Ellis hit an inmate in the head with his hands and fists, and “slamm[ed] the victim’s face into the floor multiple times.”

Kershaw Correctional is a medium-security facility located in Lancaster County.

Third-degree assault and battery is a misdemeanor that carries up to 30 days in prison or a $500 fine, under South Carolina law.