A former Philadelphia Department of Prisons sergeant has pleaded guilty to the use of excessive force on a detainee.

During a Philadelphia federal court hearing, 42-year-old Ronald C. Granville, admitted that on October 6, 2020, he was ordered by a senior officer to supervise a strip-search of a detainee with the initials V.H. at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia.

The strip search was conducted at approximately, 9:00 p.m. when Granville and other correctional officers escorted V.H. to his cell.

V.H. followed orders to get naked, which is when Granville and the other officers physically assaulted him.

As a result of the assault, V.H. was hospitalized with injuries to the face, ribs, and scrotum, and had to undergo emergency surgery.

Following the assault, Granville, and the other officers submitted false reports about the incident.

In a press release by the DOJ, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Right Division said, “This defendant is being held accountable for using excessive force and violating the Constitutional rights of a detainee under his care, custody and control,” “The Justice Department will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to investigative and prosecute law enforcement officers who violate federal criminal civil rights laws.”, she continued.

“A uniform and a badge do not provide a license to brutalize,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners at the FBI and DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will devote the personnel and resources necessary to ensure that excessive force cases are investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As law enforcement, we must maintain the highest standards of conduct to protect the integrity of our criminal justice system and the civil rights of all Americans, while recognizing with gratitude that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers do just that every day.”, U.S Attorney Romero stated in the press release.

Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, said, ““While those behind bars may have lost their freedom, they retain their humanity — and their civil rights,” “Battering a compliant detainee is indefensible, and the FBI is committed to seeking justice for the victims of such violence and other criminal misconduct.”

A sentencing date has been set for April 25th, and Granville faces up to 30 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $500,000.

The investigation is still ongoing into the other correctional officers that played a role in the assault.