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News Sentinel MADISONVILLE, Tenn. — Monroe County's top prosecutor said he changed his mind and has decided to file charges against two former Monroe County Sheriff's Department deputies who resigned last month for allegedly assaulting a restrained jail inmate. Former Deputies John Wilburn and Thomas Goodman were charged with assault Wednesday for allegedly pepperspraying an inmate while he was secured in a restraint chair Jan. 17. The incident was reported to Monroe County Sheriff Bill Bivens the next morning and the two men resigned their posts Jan. 20. Tenth Judicial District Attorney General Steve Bebb initially said he would not file criminal charges against the men, chalking it up to a "bad decision." Bebb said Wednesday, however, that he has since reviewed video footage of the incident, which shows the two jailers pepperspraying inmate Randy Carter in the face through the bars of his cell from some 15 feet away. "It was just too deliberate to let it go," Bebb said. "They ought to have been smarter than that." Bebb acknowledged Carter's reputation as a problematic inmate who has been arrested more than 70 times, mostly for alcohol-related offenses, and who has a history of fighting with officers. Copyright 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning
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