Jury rules for inmate who sued prison guard for assault

DOVER, Del. (AP) - A jury has found a prison guard liable for assaulting a detainee at a southern Delaware courthouse.

The jury awarded Jake Fox $65,000 on Tuesday after finding guard Eben Boyce liable for assault and battery in the 2012 incident.

Fox said he was being led to a room to meet with his lawyer when Boyce told him not to talk. Fox says that after he replied “excuse me, sir,” Boyce lifted him up and slammed him against the floor several times, knocking him unconscious and causing a head injury that required several stitches.

Boyce claimed Fox, who was in leg shackles and handcuffs, had raised his hands in a threatening manner.

Boyce, who never faced criminal charges, was a corporal at the time. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2017.