Walker County deputies indicted for using excessive force, lying to grand jury

WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Two Walker County Sheriff deputies are accused of using excessive force when arresting Tony Mitchell in January 2023, and one of those officers is accused of lying about those circumstances to a grand jury 18 months after Mitchell died, according to a federal indictment.

Carl Carpenter is charged with two counts of deprivation of rights. James “Matt” Handley is charged with deprivation of rights and witness tampering.

These are the first two indictments returned by a federal grand jury in the ongoing civil rights investigation into Mitchell’s in-custody death.

Ten former correctional officers or medical staff for the Walker County Jail have agreed to plead guilty to federal charges.

Mitchell was arrested on Jan. 12, 2023. A Walker County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said at the time Mitchell fired shots at deputies conducting a welfare check requested by Mitchell’s mother.

Carpenter and Handley were on scene that day, according to the indictment, and were the officers responsible for taking Mitchell to the Walker County Jail.

Carpenter is accused of stomping on Mitchell’s genitals while handcuffed and lying face up on the ground. Carpenter and Handley are both accused of ramming Mitchell into the exterior of the patrol vehicle and kicking Mitchell’s legs. The grand jury found these alleged actions violated Mitchell’s constitutional rights to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer.

The Walker County Commission says Carpenter and Handley have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Handley testified before a grand jury in August 2024, according to the indictment, he knowingly misled them by saying Mitchell walked to the patrol vehicle following his arrest, “when, in fact, [Mitchell] was dragged to the vehicle after defendant Carl Lofton Carpenter stomped on [Mitchell’s] genitals with a shod foot.”

The indictment cities Handley further misled the grand jury by testifying Mitchell “’chose’ not to walk upon removal from the patrol vehicle in the Jail’s sallyport,” while omitting information about the use-of-force “which would have explained [Mitchell’s] difficulty in walking after he was removed from a patrol vehicle.”

At the time Handley testified before the grand jury, the first former correctional officer Joshua Jones had been charged and agreed to plead guilty in this case.

Previous court records allege Mitchell was left in a cold jail cell, naked and denied basic medical and mental health care while in custody. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, two weeks after his arrest. Mitchell’s death was ruled a homicide, court records cite he died of hypothermia and sepsis related to medical neglect.

Handley and Carpenter’s indictments follow a dozen other charges that speak to a reported culture in the Walker County Jail where excessive force was reportedly celebrated by jail administrators and former officers were commended for exerting dominance over inmates.

Attorneys for Carpenter gave WBRC the following statement:

“The indictment is only an accusation and the mechanism to get a matter into court. There are at least two sides to every controversy. I encourage the public not to jump to conclusions. Mr. Carpenter looks forward to having his side told in court. This case is just getting started. There is a lot of work to do to get the matter ready for the courtroom. There is a lot still unknown. Many things are confidential regarding criminal matters.”

The other defendants charged in this case are Joshua Jones, Karen Kelly, Bailey Ganey, Heather Craig, Megan Johnson, Grayson Woods, Daniel Wyers, Daniel Brown, Courtlan Jones and Benjamin Shoemaker.

WBRC 6 News reached out to the Walker County Sheriff about the status of Carpenter and Handley’s employment but did not receive a response at the time this story was published.

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