ATLANTA — Former prison guard Justin Newkirk, of Locus Grove, has been arraigned on federal charges of using excessive force against an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta and for writing a false incident report to justify his use of force.

“Correctional officers perform a particularly challenging and critical job in maintaining order and protecting inmates in our nation’s prisons and jails,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “But this officer’s alleged misconduct of abusing an inmate and then writing a detailed false report to conceal the crime demands accountability.”

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