May 13, 2015
A Philadelphia Corrections Officer identified in the brutal beating of an inmate at the Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility last November has been arrested and faces multiple charges, District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement on Wednesday.
Philadelphia Corrections Officer Larry Levy is charged with Simple Assault, Possessing an Instrument of Crime, Obstructing Administration of Law and Other Governmental Function, and Official Oppression in connection with the beating of an inmate on November 25, 2014.
The defendant was returning to his cell and had asked Levy if he could wait outside for a moment while his cellmate used the toilet. In response, Levy ordered the defendant to get back in the cell, but when the inmate attempted to ask another officer for permission to remain outside the cell, Levy struck him in the back of the head multiple times before sweeping him to the ground, beating him, and spraying him with mace. As a result of the attack, the inmate suffered neck injuries and has experienced recurring headaches.
“Our law enforcement community, and that includes the men and women of the Philadelphia Prison System, have difficult and dangerous jobs, but there is no reason to brutally attack and mace a prisoner like Philadelphia Corrections Officer Levy did,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “This was a needless and unconscionable attack and I hope that Mr. Levy’s arrest continues to send the message that no one is above the law.”
Levy, 31, became a Philadelphia Corrections Officer in October 2008 and was assigned to CFCF on July 1, 2013.
