New Mexico prison officer accused of assaulting inmates

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A corrections officer at a New Mexico county jail is accused of staging a shower attack on two inmates suffering from mental illness, according to a police report.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office incident report Obtained by Albuquerque Journal says security camera footage shows inmates “assaulting other inmates while under the supervision” of officer Nathan Shpiller.

Johanna Sandoval, the mother of one of the inmates, told the newspaper that her 61-year-old son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and needed daily medication. He said the allegations were “horrible”.

Shpiller, who has been on duty at the prison since November 2022, declined to comment. He was not charged.

Prison spokeswoman Candace Hopkins also declined to comment, citing an ongoing internal investigation. Shpiller was fired in August and placed on paid leave pending the department’s investigation.

Inmates involved in the attacks said they believed Shpiller targeted two inmates because of their mental health issues, the newspaper reported.

According to the incident report, the police officer is also accused of spraying pepper gas on one of the prisoners who was alone and naked in his cell. Security footage shows Shpiller repeatedly pointing the pepper spray at the food compartment in the prisoner’s cell, the newspaper reported.

According to the report, the incidents occurred in July.