One ofthree Passaic County corrections officers accused of organizing an assault on a detainee at the Passaic County Jail plead guilty Thursday to conspiring to cover up the incident, U.S. District Attorney Phillip R. Sellinger said.
Lorenzo Bowden, 39, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court Thursday to one count of conspiring to obstruct justice, Sellinger said.
“Lorenzo Bowden, a correctional officer, admitted today that he helped transport a detainee to an area where there were no video cameras and stood by while other officers repeatedly hit and assaulted the handcuffed detainee who posed no threat,” Sellinger said. “The vast majority of law enforcement officers understand the trust placed in them by our community when they wear the badge. But when law enforcement officers abuse the trust the community places in them – when they violate the constitutional rights of the people of New Jersey, including prisoners, they will be held accountable.”
The assault followed an incident on Jan. 22, 2021 when the detainee squirted a fluid mixture containing urine on one of the officers, authorities said. Bowden admitted the following day to escorting the detainee through a corridor that did not have video surveillance, known as the “blind spot” where two other officers assault the detainee, officials said.
The two other officers have been charged in the incident, as well. They allegedly assaulted the detainee while handcuffed, knocking him to the ground and striking him multiple times, officials said. Bowden admitted to not stepping in to stop the assault, according to authorities.
After receiving grand jury subpoenas in April 2022, the officers and others met to discuss the investigation and agreed not to cooperate and deny that the detainee was assaulted, officials said.
In October 2022, Bowden told investigators that the detainee had not been assaulted and denied having met with the other officers accused in the case, authorities said.
Bowden’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
The status of the cases against the other two accused officers was not immediately clear.
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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
