Former Oklahoma undersheriff sentenced to nearly 2 years for repeatedly striking handcuffed inmate

A former undersheriff in southeast Oklahoma was sentenced Thursday to nearly two years in prison for repeatedly striking a handcuffed arrestee in 2017, federal prosecutors said.

Kendall Morgan, 45, also was sentenced to 36 months of supervised release following his prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

According to a plea agreement signed by Morgan, the then-undersheriff struck the handcuffed inmate several times even though the inmate was not resisting arrest. Morgan pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, and according to his attorney, Ben Hilfiger, Morgan began serving his prison sentence at that time.

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“The reputation of the entire law enforcement profession is tarnished when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve,” FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward Gray said in a statement.

A message left Thursday with Hilfiger wasn’t immediately returned.