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A former Department of Correction officer has been arrested in a Jan. 1 assault on an inmate at the Sussex Correctional Institution, state police said today.
Earle E. Nelson Jr., 49, of Lewes, surrendered to Troop 4 detectives Monday on charges of third-degree assault and official misconduct. A Sussex County grand jury indicted Nelson on the charges June 26.
Nelson, who resigned his position as a sergeant with the Department of Correction early last month, was released on $500 bail pending further court action.
According to state police, the attack occurred Jan. 1, when Nelson and two other correctional officers conducted a shakedown of the 18-year-old inmate's cell.
The inmate was serving a one-year sentence for second-degree robbery and violation of probation.
State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham said during the shakedown, Nelson allegedly threw the victim's belongings, including a calendar with notes and phone numbers on it, on the floor.
Afterward, the inmate asked for his calendar back, but Nelson refused.
Oldham said the inmate then asked if he could at least write down the notes and numbers on a separate piece of paper.
But Nelson allegedly cursed at the inmate, pushed him against the wall and sprayed pepper spray on him before taking him to the floor, Oldham said.
The inmate was then handcuffed and taken to a room in the receiving area where Nelson allegedly punched him in the head, stood him up again and pushed the left side of his head into a doorjamb.
The victim then was taken to the showers to wash the blood from above his left eye before being treated by a nurse in the infirmary.
Correctional spokeswoman Gail Stallings Minor said today that she could not disclose how long Nelson worked as a correctional officer.
"He doesn't work with us anymore," she said. "He's been gone for several months."
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