E.C.I. Correctional Officer Guilty of Erasing Video

David Quillen, a 37-year-old correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to obstruct justice and destruction of records. This guilty plea is part of a case involving the cover-up of an excessive force incident by a fellow officer, Samuel Warren, at ECI.

The incident occurred on July 12, 2021, when Quillen learned that Officer Samuel Warren had used force against an inmate. In response, Quillen arrived at the scene with a video camera and recorded the injured inmate, who alleged that Warren had assaulted him without reason. The recorded video showed the inmate visibly injured, with blood on his face, and in distress.

After recording the incident, Quillen and other officers watched the video, during which a supervisory officer acknowledged that the footage did not favor Warren and suggested deleting it. Warren and other officers agreed to delete the video and to provide false information about its removal. Recognizing that the video contained evidence of Warren's unlawful use of force, Quillen took the initiative to delete the recording.

Following the deletion, Quillen lied about the fate of the video to supervisors at ECI and to state and federal investigators. Samuel Warren subsequently admitted to unlawfully assaulting the inmate and pleaded guilty to related federal offenses.

Quillen now faces potential maximum sentences of five years for conspiring to obstruct justice and 20 years for the destruction of records. The sentencing is scheduled for May 22, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett.

The case underscores serious misconduct within the correctional facility, with Quillen's guilty plea indicating his acknowledgment of participating in the cover-up. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron, and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended investigative efforts by the FBI and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in bringing the case to light.