Ohio correction officer allegedly slams and kills inmate, one year later charged with murder

An inmate at an Ohio jail died after being slammed to the ground by a correction officer, authorities say. Now, the law enforcement officer is charged with murder. 

On May 25, 2020, inmate Kevin Bailey, 56, was being moved within the Scioto County jail when a struggle ensued, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.

That is when former Scioto County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer Billy Thompson slammed Bailey to the ground, police said.

Bailey died on June 1 at a hospital due to blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso, according to authorities.

State authorities said that a county grand jury indicted Thompson on felony charges in the death of Bailey.

The charges include murder, voluntary manslaughter and reckless homicide, authorities said.

The in-custody death was investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the attorney general’s office special prosecution section, authorities said.

Bailey’s sister, Karen Skaggs, talked with the Portsmouth Daily Times and said she was “happy, sad and mad” about the charges against Thompson.

She does hope that this case “will show just because you wear a badge, you cannot do this without being held accountable for it.”

If convicted, Thompson could get 15 years to life in prison.