Two Florida Guards Charged in Assault of Prisoner

by David Reutter

Two former guards from Florida’s Pinellas County Jail were arrested and charged with official misconduct after one of them assaulted a prisoner.

As prisoner Casio Burton, 28, was in the process of being transferred on October 4, 2013, to the Pasco County Jail to face pending charges, he raised his hand to question guard Mark Capanna, 44, about his visitation list. Guard Klaus P.Reinert, 40, responded by coming out of the jail control using profanity to ask Burton what he wanted.

After that exchange, Reinert returned to the control room. Burton, once again, tried to gain Capanna’s attention. Reinert again came out of the control room and argued with Burton, and then Reinert punched Burton in the face. In retaliation, Burton struck Reinert, knocking him down. The fight only ended when Capanna broke it up.

Neither guard followed jail policy; they failed to report the incident or document the use of force. Detectives began an investigation after several prisoners who witnessed the fight reported it to other guards.

Once the investigation began, Capanna and Reinert wrote fabricated reports denying a physical altercation. Rather, they wrote that Reinert slipped on a wet floor when Burton approached him in an aggressive manner. Capanna later admitted to misrepresenting the facts.

Both were charged with official misconduct; Reinert was also charged with battery. They both resigned from their positions. Reinert had worked with the Pinellas Sheriff’s office since 2001, and Capanna had been employed since 1990. Both were released upon bond pending trial, but the trial never happened; the charges against the former guards were dismissed in March 2014.

Sources: wtsp.com; tbo.com