Ex-Franklin County deputy pleads not guilty in connection to assault of inmate

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – An ex-Franklin County deputy who worked at the Corrections Center was in court on federal charges for allegedly disclosing an inmate’s charges that led to the inmate being assaulted.

Matthew Carey, of Groveport, pleaded not guilty on three civil rights-related charges. Carey, 27, was arrested in connection to a 2022 assault of an inmate, according to the U.S. Court of the Southern District of Ohio.

Court documents said that in March 2022 Carey intentionally told another detainee about an inmate that had pending sex offense charges. The indictment claims that Carey knew that people charged with sex offenses had a higher risk of being assaulted in jail by other inmates.

The detainee allegedly took Carey’s words as a sign to attack the inmate, setting in motion an assault of the inmate that Carey did not try to prevent.

Carey faces a conspiracy charge, one related to depriving the inmate of being free from unreasonable force, and to be free from the indifference of a deputy to a risk of physical harm. He is also charged with two counts of depriving the victim of his constitutional rights.

Carey, who is scheduled to begin his trial in early February, faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.