Former civilian jailer convicted of assault, sentenced

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - An investigation by the Harris County District Attorney's Office Civil Rights Division has led to the conviction and sentencing of a former civilian jailer who was employed by the Houston Police Department.

Lasswon Shannon pled guilty on Monday to a misdemeanor assault charge and was sentenced to one year of probation. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $300. As a condition of his plea, Shannon is also required to spend five days in the Harris County Jail.

Shannon assaulted a mentally-ill inmate on June 10, striking him multiple times in a padded cell at the Houston Police Department Central Jail on 61 Riesner Street near downtown Houston.

Both the Houston Police Department and the HCDAO Civil Rights Division investigated the incident which was discovered when a review of a surveillance video which captured the assault proved to be inconsistent with Shannon’s description of the event.

"This case illustrates the importance of having a video when complaints are made against law enforcement officials," said Julian Ramirez, Chief of the District Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Division. "We could not have proven this particular case without the video to disprove the justification given by the jailer."