ELYRIA, Ohio — A former Lorain County Corrections officer facing felony charges for breaking a man's neck in 2023 took the witness stand today to say that what happened was an unfortunate accident.
The jury in this case began deliberating late this afternoon, but not before hearing from Brian Tellier, who insisted this all started with a split-second decision and that he never meant to injure inmate Jeff Fry.
The jury will decide whether the use of force that broke Fry's neck was justified.
On the witness stand, Tellier said he was escorting a handcuffed Fry through the area of the jail when he felt Fry suddenly pull away.
"I remember us tripping," Tellier said. "That’s the extent of what I do remember about that day.
"I had a fraction of a second to make the reaction. I remember pulling him toward the wall, and we were going down, and tried to catch him."
The prosecution says the video speaks for itself, adding that there was no sign Fry was trying to escape and nothing that warranted the force Tellier used that day.
Watch the video:
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"He’s mad that this guy is jerking away from him, and he’s going to take him and throw him to the ground," said assistant prosecutor Paul Griffin.
Along with felonious assault, Tellier also faces charges that he falsified reports about the incident. Today, Tellier admitted those reports don’t match what’s on the video but said he wrote what he believed happened based on his training.
