CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
WEST LIBERTY — Two former Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex officers have pleaded guilty in a case involving the assault of a restrained inmate. The plea entered on record involves charges of deprivation of civil rights and obstruction of justice.
Court documents reveal that on July 24, 2018, Randall T. Dennis, 28, brutally assaulted a nonviolent inmate who was lying face-down in a prison shower cell with his hands cuffed and legs shackled. Nathan M. Cantrell, 32, stood outside the shower while the assault occurred, then falsified records to cover up the assault.
Dennis pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of the inmate’s civil rights, admitting the assault where he repeatedly struck the already restrained and unresistant inmate.
Cantrell pleaded guilty to four counts of obstruction of justice. He confessed to falsifying records to cover up the incident by omitting the assault from his occurrence report. Cantrell also admitted to lying to a supervisor tasked to investigate the incident and representatives from the Kentucky State Police (KSP) and the Kentucky Internal Investigations Branch (IIB).
Four other former officers have previously pleaded guilty in related cases. On April 10, James Benish, a former EKCC officer, admitted to one count of deprivation of civil rights due to his failure to intervene during the assault. Randy Nickell, a former EKCC supervisor, also pleaded guilty to three counts of obstruction, acknowledging his part in concealing the assault.
Later in 2022, two more officers confessed to their roles in the case. On July 11, Derek Mays, a former EKCC officer, admitted guilt to four counts of obstruction of justice related to his part in the cover-up. On Aug. 29, former EKCC officer Jeffery Havens pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of civil rights stemming from his participation in the assault on the inmate.
Dennis and Cantrell are scheduled for sentencing Dec. 11. Dennis potentially faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, while Cantrell could receive a maximum of 20 years for each of his four charges.
The FBI, the KSP and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet conducted the investigation.