NASHVILLE – Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments for a Clarksville man accused of assaulting an inmate with a stun gun while on duty as a jailer for the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Department.
At the request of 23rd District Attorney General Ray Crouch, TBI Agents began investigating Mark Bryant (DOB 3-8-78) on August 3rd, shortly after surveillance video surfaced of an incident inside the jail on November 5, 2016. The investigation revealed that, on that date, corrections officers removed an inmate from his booking cell after becoming violent toward himself and other inmates. While being restrained in the jail’s restraint chair, the inmate was able to loosen one arm, after which the investigation revealed Bryant used a stun gun on the inmate at least four times, one instance of which lasted approximately 25 seconds.
On Tuesday, the Cheatham County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Bryant with four counts of Aggravated Assault and one count of Official Misconduct. Today, authorities arrested him and booked him into the Cheatham County Jail on $75,000 bond.
"As Sheriff, I am saddened this happened within our jail. We have taken all necessary steps to prevent this from happening again and on my watch, excessive force will never be tolerated," said Sheriff Mike Breedlove. Breedlove, who, as a result of the incident, was the center of a national media storm and the target of countless threats, expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support of the community. "Cheatham Countians have been so supportive of their Sheriff's Office and it’s dedicated employees. A terrible mistake was made and has been addressed. Because of this, we have become better servants," he said. "We will always do our best to protect all citizens- including inmates in our facility," added Breedlove.
The investigation into the incident remains active and ongoing.
