Former guard is charged in beating of inmate at Florida State Prison

Ex-Department of Corrections Sgt. Richard J. Kross is the first guard to face criminal charges for the alleged April 8 beating of a Florida State Prison inmate that was caught on tape.

But he may not be the only guard to face charges.

The State Attorney's Office for the 8th Judicial Circuit filed charges of battery on an inmate and knowingly submitting inaccurate, incomplete or untruthful information against Kross on June 15.

The Gainesville Sun reported that the 40-year-old Middleburg resident turned himself in Monday to the jail in Bradford County, where the case will be tried. He was released on his own recognizance.

State Attorney Chief Investigator Spencer Mann said the investigation is continuing into "several" other guards alleged to have injured inmate Darrell Stanberry.

The Florida Department of Corrections said six guards pulled Stanberry out of a solitary confinement cell and pummeled him.

The beating took place during a power outage. The guards may have believed that surveillance cameras were knocked out, but they had a battery backup.

Kross, Lt. William Hinson, Sgt. James Coleman, Sgt. Anthony Reed and Officer Raymond Williams were all fired by the department. Officer Charles Reames retired after the incident.

"We cannot tolerate this in our system, and we won't," said department spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger.

She said the department's internal report concluded that the guards used excessive force. The department would not make the report public, saying it's now part of the state attorney's investigation.

Stanberry, 53, is serving a 15-year prison sentence out of Escambia County in 2002 for robbery, cocaine possession and grand theft. He is now being held at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton.

Kross pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. The battery charge carries up to five years in prison.

But Gainesville defense attorney Gloria Fletcher said the state can expect a fight.