A former jail guard was sentenced to jail today for helping a pair of inmates attack another inmate and then covering it up, authorities said.
Morgan Hill resident Francisco Izayas Castillo, 42, was convicted of a misdemeanor in March for his role in a jailhouse beating four years ago, the DA’s Office said.
He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail.
Castillo approved the beating beforehand and even provided rubber gloves to one attacker, a spokesperson for the DA’s Office said, adding he opened the victim’s cell, watched as the beating took place and covered it up. Another correctional officer discovered the inmate was hurt and started an investigation.
“Correctional officers are sworn to protect the public and the inmates,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a release. “This officer betrayed the public, betrayed the inmates and betrayed the badge. My Office will hold corrupt correctional officers to account for their behavior.”
On Sept. 21, 2022, an inmate was attacked in his cell by two other inmates who burst in as soon as his cell was opened by Castillo—a third inmate stood guard outside the cell during the attack, per the DA’s office.
Castillo knew the attack was imminent because the attackers had told him their intentions just 30 minutes earlier in a meeting at his desk, prosecutors said, adding Castillo approved their actions (telling them to “handle it,” and working with them to keep it quiet after the fact).
Moments beforehand, one of the attackers took rubber gloves from the guard’s desk and pointed in the direction of the victim’s cell, the release states.
Castillo then opened the cell using his control panel; the attacker opened the door, then he and another inmate punched and kicked the victim for about 30 seconds inside the victim’s cell, the DA’s Office said.
“Several minutes later, the victim activated his cell’s emergency call button, turning on a green light outside his cell door and sending a series of pings throughout the module to notify the guard,” the spokesperson wrote. “Castillo, the only deputy in the module, silenced the victim’s emergency notification and turned off his emergency light. He approached the victim’s cell but did not turn on his body worn camera, ensuring there was no record of their conversation.”
Then, the victim told Castillo of the attack and asked for help, but Castillo didn’t send for medical aid or report the incident, prosecutors said.
“Instead, he met with the attackers to concoct a plan to keep word of the attack from getting out,” the spokesperson said. “The next day, once the attack was discovered, Castillo fired the two attackers from their roles as ‘trustees’ in the jail in a last-ditch effort to insulate himself from accountability. He failed.”
The two attackers and the inmate who stood guard were charged and convicted of the beating. Castillo was fired.
