Share this @internewscast.com
Background: A news report featuring a video of Anthony Mitchell while in custody (WBRC). Insets: Carl Carpenter (Walker County Sheriff’s Department) on the left, and Anthony “Tony” Mitchell (Justice for Anthony Mitchell/Facebook) on the right.
An Alabama sheriff’s deputy has admitted guilt in the misuse of his authority by improperly restraining a vulnerable inmate, over two years following the inmate’s death due to his treatment while detained.
Carl Lofton Carpenter, aged 55, confessed on Tuesday to mistreating Anthony “Tony” Mitchell, 33, who succumbed to hypothermia and sepsis a fortnight after his arrest by Walker County officers. According to Al.com, his death was classified as a homicide by the county coroner, who cited “infected injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect” as contributing factors. In his confession, Carpenter acknowledged that he “us[ed] his shod foot to stomp on the genitals” of Mitchell “to punish and inflict pain without a legitimate law enforcement reason to do so.”
Carpenter was one of several law enforcement personnel who took part in the mistreatment of Mitchell, who was originally arrested during a mental welfare check on Jan. 12, 2023. Mitchell was accused by authorities of firing a gun while officers were on the property. Despite being told by medical personnel that Mitchell was exhibiting symptoms of severe mental illness, including “expressing delusions related to demons and portals” to hell, according to the plea, the Walker County Sheriff made the call to transport him to the county jail.
According to the plea agreement, Mitchell was “compliant, obeyed commands, and posed no threat of harm to the officers, himself, or anyone else.” The agreement stated that at one point during the arrest, Mitchell “stiffened momentarily,” which caused Carpenter to act out in “anger.” The document said that Carpenter threw Mitchell to the ground, where he landed on his back, his hands cuffed behind him. Carpenter then “raised his foot and brought it down with force … stomping on [Mitchell’s] genitals.” He then said, “This is how we treat seizures in Walker County.”
After his first assault, Carpenter then threw Mitchell into the back of the squad car. While Mitchell’s legs dangled outside the car, Carpenter kicked them while Mitchell “lay immobile.” According to the plea, Carpenter chose to inflict unnecessary pain on Mitchell because he was “accustomed to harming arrestees unnecessarily consistent with the ‘culture’ of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.”
Following the assaults on Mitchell, Carpenter and another unnamed officer both agreed to “tell federal investigators the same false version of events,” which was that Mitchell was “passively resisting officers” and that Carpenter merely held Mitchell to the ground using his foot.
Mitchell’s treatment once he arrived at Walker County Jail also made headlines and resulted in several law enforcement employees taking pleas of their own. Mitchell died on Jan. 26, 2023.
Carpenter faces a sentence of a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
