A former Alabama county jail administrator is accused of punching a handcuffed inmate in the head.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a federal indictment against 33-year-old Christian Alexander Porter, a former captain at the Crenshaw County Jail. The four-count indictment was issued Jan. 8 and made public Tuesday.

Porter is charged with using unreasonable force on a pretrial detainee while acting under color of law in violation of the 14th Amendment and with falsifying a use of force report to cover up the assault.

The victim, identified in court documents only as “S.W.”, was arrested Oct. 7, 2021.

On Oct. 12, 2021, according to the indictment, Porter punched the inmate in the head and shoulders while the inmate was handcuffed and compliant.

The indictment also charges Porter with making false statements to state and federal investigators on Nov. 18, 2021, and June 28, 2022.

Porter, documents state, told investigators that he “took S.W. to the ground” and took no further action against him. Instead, authorities say, Porter assaulted the inmate while he was on the ground.

If convicted, Porter faces up to 10 years in prison for the federal civil rights violation, 20 years in prison for falsifying the report and making false statements to state investigators and five years in prison for making false statements to federal investigators.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office made Tuesday’s announcement.

The FBI Mobile Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Lia Rettammel of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.