Fourth ex-Wilson County jailer pleads guilty

A former Wilson County Jail guard today became the fourth ex-jailer to plead guilty to federal charges resulting from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into alleged civil rights violations at the facility. Christopher McCathern pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Nashville to violating the civil rights of a detainee by assaulting him in February 2002, according to federal officials.
The investigation was sparked by the January 2003 head injury death of an inmate which was later ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner's office. In addition to the four former corrections officers who have already entered guilty pleas, several other former or current jailers are also widely believed to have drawn the scrutiny of investigators.
See Thursday's edition of The Lebanon Democrat for complete coverage of the story.