Ex-correctional sergeant faces assault charges

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A former Lincoln County correctional sergeant was charged with assaulting an inmate at the Lincoln County Jail, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.

Jason H. Meister of Pearson faces one count of abuse of residents of penal facilities and one count of substantial battery following an incident in late February. According to the criminal complaint, an unnamed inmate at the jail being held on a warrant was involved in an altercation with Meister at around 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 28.

The inmate required medical attention after the incident. She sustained multiple broken ribs and a laceration above her right eye required stitches.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s office contacted the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation requesting a criminal investigation after a preliminary investigation into the inmate’s injuries.

According to the complaint, the inmate remembered having her head “banged” and “felt extreme pressure on her head.” She told the DCI she remembered being thrown onto a cell bank and then “dragged onto the ground,” where she said Meister punched and kicked her.

Surveillance footage showed Meister grabbing the inmate by the hair or back of the head and slamming her head into the clear window of the cell. Meister was then described as throwing the inmate down onto the jail bed. The complaint said blood was visible on the wall when the inmate was pulled away.

Meister pulled the inmate to the cell floor, according to the complaint. He then began punching and kneeing her. Footage did not show the inmate fighting back.

After the internal investigation, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office fired Meister as a correctional sergeant.

DCI is leading the independent investigation, and the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution. If convicted, Meister faces a fine of up to $10,000 and a maximum of 3½ years of imprisonment.