Allegheny County Jail Guard Charged with Civil Rights Violation
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 18, 2011 |
PITTSBURGH—Arii Metz, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of deprivation of civil rights, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count indictment was returned on Feb. 17, 2011, and unsealed today. Metz, 32, of Pittsburgh, turned himself in to the FBI this morning and made an initial appearance in federal court in Pittsburgh.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Metz, while acting as a correctional officer with the Allegheny County Jail, used excessive force in the assault of an inmate by striking him in the head and thereby violated his civil rights. The alleged assault on Oct. 13, 2010, resulted in bodily injury to the inmate.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government, in conjunction with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The FBI conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment or information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.