Two correctional officers indicted over alleged 2021 Passaic County Jail assault

Two Passaic County correctional officers were indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday on charges that stem from an alleged assault of a pretrial detainee in 2021 , the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Jose Gonzalez, 45, and Donald Vinales, 38, were indicted on charges of violating a pretrial detainee's civil rights and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

On Jan. 21, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail "squirted a mixture containing urine" on a police officer, the indictment says.

The next day, Gonzalez and Vinales, along with other officers, took the detainee to what was known as a "blind spot," which was an area in the county jail that did not have a video surveillance camera, and assaulted the detainee by knocking him to the ground and continuing to strike him while he was handcuffed, the U.S. attorney's indictment says.

The detainee was taken to a local hospital the next day for the injuries he suffered in the assault, officials said.

The police officers never submitted documentation regarding their use of force when they were required to file the report, authorities said.

In connection with the assault investigation, federal grand jury subpoenas were handed to the defendants in April 2022.

Gonzalez, Vinales and other officers met and agreed not to cooperate in the federal investigation and to deny the assault, the indictment says.

Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden was one of the officers involved in that meeting and falsely stated in October 2022 that the detainee had not been assaulted.

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Bowden pleaded guilty in April of this year to charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and is awaiting sentencing.

Gonzalez and Vinales face a two-count indictment with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Conspiracy to obstruct justice holds a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail, and deprivation of rights under color of law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.

Previous reporting showed that Vinales, who lives in Hardyston, has a salary of $150,185 and had worked for the Sheriff’s Office since 2009. Gonzalez, of Totowa, makes $157,258 and started in the department in 2003. Bowden, from Totowa, is paid $119,648 and joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2014.

The Passaic County Jail has since closed, having merged with the Bergen County Corrections and Rehabilitation Center in 2021.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Two correctional officers indicted over alleged 2021 Passaic County Jail assault