Victim opposes Clark Co. plan for jail officer’s assault charge to be dismissed

Sheriff’s office suggested 20-year-old officer resign, get diversion on case, with chance of no criminal record; attorney for victim calls it ‘unheard of’
The Clark County Public Safety Building Thursday, April 18, 2024. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The Clark County Public Safety Building Thursday, April 18, 2024. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

The victim of an alleged assault by a Clark County jail corrections officer has objected to the sheriff’s office’s offer for the officer to resign in exchange for dismissal of the charge, calling the negotiation “unheard of.”

Steven Keith Jordan, 20, faces one count of assault, a misdemeanor charge, for the Aug. 5 incident in which an inmate and another corrections officer were injured.

The Springfield Prosecutor’s Office said in an Oct. 9 filing that they recommend a plea deal with the state recommending diversion, which would pause criminal proceedings while Jordan complied with certain conditions like public service or classes. Once diversion conditions are met, the charges are then dismissed and the case is sealed.

The victim’s lawyer, Anthony Satariano, wrote in an Oct. 16 filing that he was made aware of the impending dismissal on Oct. 15, and that the state “has made clear that this action is not being dismissed based on any evidentiary concerns, but rather is being dismissed because [Jordan] has chosen to voluntarily resign from his position with the Clark County Sheriff.”

“It goes without saying that [Jordan’s] employment status has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the validity of the present charge, the actions that occurred on August, 5, 2024 or the fact the victim suffered injuries at the hands of the defendant,” Satariano wrote in a court filing objecting to the potential dismissal. “Allowing an employer to negotiate a resolution, that the victim and his attorney had no part in, wherein an employee is permitted to simply quit and is thereby somehow absolved of any criminal liability is unheard of.”

The inmate was receiving a medication injection in his cell from a jail nurse when he became upset with corrections officers, according to an affidavit.

The inmate was placed down on his cell bench by two corrections officers and was held down as he was curled up on his side on the bench. Jordan then allegedly punched the inmate multiple times in his shoulder and back with a closed fist.

When the inmate tried to come out of his cell after the shot, Jordan reportedly pushed him, which caused the inmate and a second corrections officer to fall back into the wall and bench area. The other officer struck her head when she fell back, court records said.

The prosecutor’s office wrote in a Nov. 6 filing that the sheriff’s office and a union representative requested the dismissal in exchange for Jordan’s resignation, and that the state had offered diversion with Jordan having no criminal history.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor’s office recommended amending the assault charge to disorderly conduct, and said it had no objection to Jordan entering a no contest plea.

Jen Balduf contributed to this report.

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