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Corfu resident among four corrections officers accused of assaulting Attica inmate

By Howard B. Owens

A Corfu resident is among four correctional officers from Attica who are accused of assaulting an inmate and then conspiring to cover up the alleged crime.

Keith Swack, 27, of Corfu, was indicted by a Wyoming County Grand Jury on charges of gang asault, 1st, conspiracy, 4th, tampering with physical evidence and official miscounduct.

The inmate allegedly assaulted suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, including broken bones.

Also charged with Sean Warner, 27, of Belfast, Matthew Rademacher, 29, of Wyoming and Erik Hibsch, 28, of Gainsville.

All four men were arraigned in a Wyoming County Court and jailed on $25,000 bail each.

The four officers are accused of concocting a plan to assault an inmate and carrying out the assault on Aug. 9. The men are accused of then preparing false physical evidence to help conceal the crime. 

Warner is also accused of submitting false statements concerning the events to his superiors. Warner is also charged with offering a false instrument for filing.

The indictments followed a four-month investigation by State Police, the Inspector General's Office, and Department of Corrections.

Meg Cook

They will be loving jail payback time for them if they aren't put in protective custoy
Shouldn't use what supposed "power" they had to do stupid things

Dec 13, 2011, 5:54pm Permalink
Billie Owens

Truism: A little bit of power can be a dangerous thing. It depends on the character of the person with a weensy bit of wherewithal, of course. I don't know whether to be surprised or not, but I think this incident, if true, is despicable.

Dec 14, 2011, 5:05pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Just curious what the inferences to 'supposed "power" ' and "Should we be surprised by this??????" meant. I'm up for clarification.

Dec 14, 2011, 6:28pm Permalink
Vicki Showler

I think they need to check into it as to why they did it, maybe there are other factors to it. Posssibly the inmate provoked it and they were protecting themselves. If not that is just cruel it is there job to protect the people there not attach them.

Dec 15, 2011, 5:37am Permalink
Billie Owens

A guy named Rodney King in L.A. in the early '90s ("Can't we all just get along here?") supposedly provoked the officers who attacked him. And they certainly protected the hell out of themselves, all on videotape. The Simi (see-me) Valley jurors agreed the cops were just doing their jobs. (Key phrase being Simi Valley -- an inland enclave in Ventura County, Calif.) Mr. Swack is innocent until proven otherwise.

Dec 15, 2011, 2:10pm Permalink

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