BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PIKEVILLE — A former lieutenant at the United States Penitentiary Big Sandy has pleaded guilty to falsifying records to conceal the violent assault of an inmate seeking protective custody. He becomes the latest official swept up in a widening federal probe into brutality and cover-ups inside the high-security prison in Martin County.
Michael J. Childers entered the plea Dec. 1 in U.S. District Court in Pikeville to a single count of falsification of records in a federal investigation.
Federal prosecutors detailed a violent incident April 13, 2021, inside the lieutenant’s office at USP Big Sandy, where prison staff took an inmate identified as J.B. after he requested protective custody. Childers admitted he was present with Lieutenant Terry Melvin, Lieutenant Kevin Pearce, case management coordinator Samuel Patrick and captain’s secretary Clinton Pauley when the inmate pleaded for protection.
Childers said Melvin became agitated, saying that if J.B. had done to Childers’ family what he had been convicted of “J.B. would not be standing there.” Melvin then asked the inmate, “Have you met Lieutenant Childers?”
At that point, Childers punched J.B. in the face and tackled him to the ground. The group piled onto the inmate and continued the assault, repeatedly striking him.
Childers admitted he knew J.B. was not resisting and that there was no lawful justification for using force.
Afterward, Melvin asked, “Who did [J.B.] headbutt?” Childers acknowledged he knew the inmate had not headbutted anyone. However, he raised his hand, understanding the question was part of an effort to fabricate a justification for the beating.
Childers then wrote a false incident report claiming J.B. headbutted him, punched him, caused him to bleed and made him dizzy. Childers admitted those statements were false and intended to impede or influence the federal investigation.
Under the plea agreement, Childers faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduction for acceptance of responsibility.
Childers is the latest USP Big Sandy official to admit wrongdoing inside the prison.
In October, nine months after admitting he helped lead a violent conspiracy at the facility, former lieutenant Terry L. Melvin has seen his own sentencing postponed twice as federal judges keep key filings under seal. Melvin pleaded guilty Jan. 24 to conspiring with officers to assault inmates and falsify reports. His sentencing, initially set for May 14, is now April 2, 2026, in London.
Court records in Melvin’s case contain sealed entries that U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier ordered to remain sealed “recognizing the sensitive subject matter at issue.”
Melvin admitted to participating in a coordinated campaign of violence between early 2021 and March 2022 targeting inmates who sought protective custody. At the center, he said, was an “unofficial policy” devised by the associate warden and captain: Inmates seeking protection could withdraw their requests or face false assault allegations.
The April 2021 attack on J.B. was among the most severe. The inmate suffered facial lacerations, rib injuries, bruising and a concussion requiring hospitalization. Staff posed him for photos, mocked his injuries and filed false reports afterward.
According to Melvin, such assaults were routine. “Staff assault day” occurred weekly, with officers yelling “stop resisting” while striking compliant inmates. Members of the Special Investigations Section responsible for probing staff misconduct were told to destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses. Some officers received bonuses and promotions while the abuse continued.
Melvin’s admissions expanded the scope of culpability, naming additional staff by initials—L.C., C.M., D.B., E.T., P.P., L.M., D.A., S.H., and J.P., implicating them in what prosecutors described as a “widespread and coordinated scheme of unconstitutional punishment.”
Several USP Big Sandy officials have already received sentences:
• Pearce, convicted at trial in 2023 on two counts of falsification of records, received a sentence of five and a half years.
• Patrick pleaded guilty in 2023 to two counts involving the assault of inmates and attempts to cover it up. He received a sentence of three years.
• Pauley pleaded guilty in 2023 to three counts related to assaults on inmates. He received three years and four months.
• Former Lieutenant Ryan O. Elliott pleaded guilty to assaulting one inmate and writing a false report in a separate incident. He received a sentence March 14, 2024, of one year and one day in prison followed by a year of supervised release. Court records show Elliott tackled and punched an inmate during a March 26, 2021, assault. He later helped cover up another beating at Pearce’s request.