Former Corrections Officer Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison on Federal Civil Rights Charges in Connection with Death of Inmate at West Virginia Jail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for failing to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Q.B. died as a result of the officers’ assault. Ashley Toney, 25, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, then-Correctional Officer Toney acknowledged that she responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. Toney and other officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. and then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where multiple officers struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone, as punishment for attempting to leave his assigned pod. Toney admitted that she had an opportunity to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting Q.B. but chose not to make any reasonable effort to do so.  

Toney pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin on August 8, 2024, to deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in physical injury.

“This former corrections officer violated her duty as a law enforcement officer, and the public trust,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “I thank our Civil Rights Division prosecutors and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who saw these cases through appropriate sentencing.”

“The defendant’s inaction led to the death of a 37-year-old man, and afterwards she attempted to shield herself and fellow officers from being held accountable for his death,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “Through her criminal conduct, the defendant violated the public’s trust in the law enforcement system she swore to uphold. I commend the Civil Rights Division for their outstanding advocacy in this case.”

Six corrections officers were charged in this case. In November 2024, three of those defendants — Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters — each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. In August 2024, Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the officers’ assault. Sentencing hearings for Holdren, Snyder, Walters, and Boothe are scheduled for July 9, 2025.

On Jan. 27, 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict at trial for the sixth indicted defendant, Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, finding him guilty on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. On May 15, 2025, Lester was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.

Prior to their respective indictments, former correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman each pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Burks. On May 8, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Wimmer to nine years in prison. Fleshman is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2025.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.

The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.

Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-124.

###