JASPER, Ala. — A former Walker County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to two counts of civil rights violations for violently assaulting Tony Mitchell, an inmate who died weeks later after being jailed under brutal and inhumane conditions.
Carl Lofton Carpenter, 55, admitted that during Mitchell’s 2023 arrest, he stomped on the handcuffed man’s genitals, then kicked and dragged him before throwing him roughly into a patrol car. Court documents reveal that while Mitchell was fully compliant, restrained, and posed no threat, Carpenter inflicted the violence after saying, “This is how we treat seizures in Walker County”. The attack came as deputies responded to a mental health crisis at Mitchell’s home.
Mitchell died two weeks later in the Walker County Jail, confined to a concrete cell covered in feces without a toilet or medical care. His death was ruled the result of sepsis and hypothermia. Investigations uncovered a culture of abuse and cruelty in the jail, with deliberate squalor meant to pressure local officials into increasing funds and salaries.
Carpenter’s guilty plea follows an ongoing federal probe that has led to at least 10 other jail staffers also pleading guilty in connection with Mitchell’s death. Carpenter could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced.
Attorneys for Carpenter, the sheriff’s office, and other involved deputies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.