A Lorain County corrections officer who was accused of throwing a handcuffed inmate into a wall, leading to a broken neck two years ago, has been charged.
The jailer, Brian Tellier, had been suspended with pay since January.
According to court records, Tellier has been indicted on the following charges:
- felonious assault
- three counts of tampering with evidence
- dereliction of duty
He was also indicted on two counts of endangering children, relating to a separate case in connection with an incident that occurred on Feb. 26, 2025, involving a child who was taken to the hospital after ingesting THC-infused gummies.
Tellier is currently being held in the Erie County Jail in lieu of a $135,000 bond. He has also been put on unpaid administrative leave.
“We want to ensure our staff and inmates are held to the highest constitutional standards which resulted in the investigation of Officer Tellier’s actions with inmate Fry,” Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall said. “We feel we have conducted a thorough examination of the facts and presented a complete investigation to the grand jury.”
'You just broke my neck'
On May 12, 2023, Jeff Fry was arrested by Elyria police on a misdemeanor bench warrant and taken to the Lorain County jail for booking.
Video obtained by News 5 Investigators showed a Tellier walking Fry to a room for a body scan. But along the way, surveillance video showed Fry, who was handcuffed, appear to turn away from Tellier, who was escorting him.
In an instant, Tellier appeared to lower his weight and fling Fry toward a wall.
Fry’s head and face hit the base of it.
In a report to supervisors, Tellier wrote that Fry fell due to his “inebriated and unstable state,” and that Tellier “guided” Fry to the floor.
But a lieutenant found that the report contained multiple inaccuracies and that Tellier used excessive force against Fry, who suffered a broken neck and paralysis.
Watch more about what happened in the player below:
RELATED: Man accuses jailer of assault, FBI investigating
Since then, Fry filed a $40 million lawsuit against the former sheriff, Tellier and others, alleging civil rights violations.
Hall turned over the investigation to the Corrections Inspector General in January 2025. The incident was also under investigation by the FBI.
In May, the sheriff announced that the investigation was concluded and its findings were turned over to the prosecutor's office for review.
Watch more about the investigation below:
RELATED: Prosecutors to review case of corrections officer accused of breaking man's neck
