ISABELLA COUNTY, Mich. – A former corrections officer was sentenced to probation for assaulting an inmate in the Isabella County Jail.
Christopher Cluley, 48, of Mount Pleasant, was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and willful neglect of duty.
Prosecutors said the assault happened in April 2020 when Cluley was working in the jail as the administrator in charge. Cluley assaulted a inmate during a cell transfer. Cluley grabbed the man, spun him around, and pushed him into the cell door. He then pushed him into the wall next to the cell door.
After walking the man to the new cell, Cluley pushed him to the ground. An x-ray found that the assault fractured the man’s left knee.
Cluley was placed on administrative leave after the assault. The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department conducted an internal investigation and then contacted the Michigan State Police to investigate. The case was sent to the Department of Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
Cluley reached a plea agreement with the prosecutor. As part of that agreement, Cluley signed an affidavit of decertification and an agreement to not recertify as a corrections officer. He will also be required to undergo an anger management assessment and classes.
“Thanks to the work of the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, the Michigan State Police, and our Public Integrity Unit, Mr. Cluley has been permanently barred from working as a corrections officer in our state and can no longer harm inmates,” Nessel said. “My office remains committed to ensuring officers who violate their oaths to protect and serve are held accountable.”