Bombshell revelation in Tenelanda case vs. Butler Co. Jail
Denise G. Callahan writes, “The personnel records of a Butler County Jail sergeant accused of injuring an ICE detainee indicate he has had one other excessive force complaint during his 11-year tenure on staff at the corrections facility.”
Sergeant Corneal Rowe punched a handcuffed inmate twice in the face, four months assaulting Luis in 2025. As with Luis' assault, "the deputy warden found Rowe blameless."
“While the use of force may appear unfavorable on camera, the totality of the circumstance supports that the level of force used was objectively reasonable in response to the inmate’s active resistance and attempted assault,” said the jail.
Don’t believe it. As the Journal-News points out in Luis’ case:
A report of the internal investigation into the incident noted Tenelanda “continued to be disruptive and refused direct commands” to sit on his bunk, so Rowe “used open-handed pressure to the detainee’s hip area to guide him to a seated position.” Capt. Kevin Grathwohl concluded, “Although Sgt. Rowe used minimal force during the altercation, he should have created documentation of the incident and therefore will receive an oral reprimand.”
This is not what happened, at all, in Luis case, and we doubt it’s what happened with the other victim too. The truth is, Luis did nothing disruptive and didn’t refuse any commands. The sergeant was upset about a protest outside the jail and took it out on Luis. Our friend’s injuries so severe that he was taken to the hospital more than a day after the attack. Over a year later, he still cannot fully use his arm.
Lynn Tramonte, OIA’s Executive Director, said, “We can’t rely on [Butler Jail] to police themselves, and this is a clear example of how the culture of the jail and Sheriff Jones is ‘anything goes,’ and they believe they can do anything they want inside their walls.”
The Journal-News also learned that the jail has taken steps to cover up misconduct behind its walls by cancelling written performance reviews in 2022, despite being required to do “annual standardized performance reviews" under Ohio law. Chief Deputy Dwyer said oral evaluations are more "effective." But how does anyone know that they were done, and what was said? What Dwyer really means is "not subject to discovery in lawsuits."
The Ohio Immigrant Alliance continues to receive complaints of assaults against immigrants at the Butler County Jail. We investigate them carefully and work with legal counsel to hold abusers accountable.
Everyone has rights, including people in jail, and no one deserves to be assaulted. In 2021, Butler lost its ICE contract after immigrants, lawyers, and organizers exposed abuses over a period of years and the Sheriff was no longer able to get away with his “they can’t tell me sh*t” attitude. This same coalition is back together, larger and stronger, working to do it again.
Said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, "Sheriff Jones, Chief Deputy Dwyer, and Butler County Commissioners are doing everything they can to hide the abuse going on inside their jail. But injuries to the body don't lie, and week after week people are calling us with the same experiences. This jail is a torture factory, and our federal tax dollars are paying for it.
"Butler County and Ohio taxpayers are demanding an end to the ICE contract because its leadership has shown, over and over again, that they do not believe the people inside should be treated as human beings. Until then, there will be more pain, more injuries, more lawsuits and, possibly, the loss of life."
