Former Jail Deputy Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Authorities say a former deputy jailer in western Kentucky has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for using a stun gun to punish a suicidal inmate for cursing.

The FBI said in a statement that 54-year-old James Eakes received the sentence Thursday for willfully depriving the inmate of his constitutional right to be free from cruel and usual punishment.

The former deputy jailer with the Fulton County Detention Center in Hickman was convicted last year.

According to evidence and testimony, Eakes used a Taser on the inmate three times because the inmate cursed at him.