Federal Inmates Indicted for AssaultingWest Tennessee Detention Facility Correctional Officers

Memphis, TN – Davonte Gary, 21, and Johnathan Johnson, 26, have been indicted for assaulting correctional officers. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the indictments today.

According to the indictments, on October 16, 2019, Gary, an inmate at West Tennessee Detention Facility, assaulted a correctional officer by placing him in a headlock. The correctional officer was engaged in official duties when attacked. Gary was in custody pending trial for a Hobbs Acts Robbery.

On September 9, 2019, Johnson, also an inmate at West Tennessee Detention Facility, struck two correctional officers in the head and face with a closed fist. Two months prior to this incident, Johnson had been sentenced in Federal District Court to 84 months imprisonment on federal drug charges.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "No other group of Americans has a more difficult or less publicly visible job than the dedicated men and women who work in our correctional facilities. Assaulting any federal correctional officer who is engaged in the performance of their official duties is a serious violation of federal law, and will not be tolerated. This office takes very seriously our duty to protect the safety of correctional employees and the security of federal detention facilities, and these indictments demonstrate that commitment to promote institutional safety and control by strict enforcement of the rule of law."

Pete Bludworth, Warden, West Tennessee Detention Facility, said: "Our top priority is the safety of our staff and those entrusted to our care. We appreciate all the efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee in this case, and share their commitment to keeping our communities safe."

"The U.S. Marshals Service is committed to ensuring the safety of the employees of our correctional detention partners. Persons being held in detention by the Marshals Service must understand there will be consequences for their actions," said Jeffrey Holt, U.S. Marshal.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to eight years imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.

The West Tennessee Detention Facility investigated these cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Smith is prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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