Charles E. Austin
A Victim of NC Prison Abuse
Charles is the tall guy.
My name is Charles E. Austin and I am incarcerated at
Central Prison in
On
On October 6 an inmate Joseph Reid and I had an altercation simply because I wouldn’t provide him with cigarettes after I had been told by Lt Byum not to give the inmates who were on “lock up” any commissary.
At the time there were two inmates in the block on lock up and both were white. Inmate Reid became upset and started verbally abusing and threatening me. Again this officer Crump over heard him and asked one of the other inmates who was he talking to. He pointed to me. I didn’t think anything of it and went on to breakfast when the block was called to chow.
When we all returned and stood in front of our cell doors for this officer to open them. She opened Reid’s door even though he was on lock up. My next door neighbor hit me on my elbow to let me know. I looked over to see for myself and sure enough his door was wide open. Despite the large notice on his door and in the booth that she was in she opened the door.
This inmate ran out of his cell fully dressed with his hands wrapped from strips of clothe that he had torn from his bed roll and everything as if he knew he was coming out.
He ran up into the day room bouncing around as if he was Rocky II or somebody challenging me. I just stood in my door and watched the clown and the officer who let him out.
The sergeant’s office was only a few steps away from the block and not once did this officer pick up the phone to report this inmate being out of his cell. She just chose to stand there and watch instead.
I told my next door neighbor that she had let him out and he said yeah. I was about to say the same thing.
After six or eight minutes went by she and she saw that I didn’t want to fight this inmate she finally told him to get back into his cell.
I went to take my shower and just before I got there this inmate takes a running start and hit me in my face with everything he had. I am 6’ 3” and 260 pounds and believe me, the impact from his punch knocked me senseless, off my feet and into the shower fully dressed. I got soaked, blood running from my nose and my face was swelling.
The showers are one man showers here. They have one way in and one way out. All I could see was this inmate standing, blocking the entrance and waiting for the water to cut off so he could seriously hurt or kill me. He is some 15 plus years younger than me and I will be 55 come January if the Lord is willing. I said to myself that if I didn’t get up and get out of the shower that he was going to seriously hurt or kill me.
All I could see was this inmate’s legs in front of the shower. I grabbed his legs and I went to come up with him. By the floor being wet, I slipped and we both fell with Reid’s head hitting the floor. I landed on top and proceeded to hit him in the face where he hit me two or three times. My neighbor grabbed my hand and told me that this inmate was out and no longer a threat
I was out of it. I wiped the water and blood from my face and saw where he was right and went on to my cell to stop the nose bleed and wait for security. That’s right and “NO”; this officer still hadn’t picked up the phone to notify anyone. It wasn’t until she was told that this inmate was and where she was now in a situation where she was damn if she does and damn if she don’t. She decided to notify the sergeant’s office. She could have protected us both but failed to do so with very serious consequences.
When Lt. Thessian and a nurse Perry arrived and turned this inmate over they were amazed at what they saw. His hand was wrapped and everything. One of them said that this inmate came out of his cell prepared to fight me and the other agreed.
There were two inmates on lock up and she only let opened one door. The investigation report and the witnesses’ statements will confirm that this inmate was intentionally let out to assault me. Since then I have had two female officers open my door and tell me that and two officers told me that they took pictures of this inmates injuries but not mine.
This inmate is permanently brain damaged and the only reason the state is not giving me an outside case is because it was their officer’s fault and they do not want the public to know.
They have railroaded me on lock up and I could be here for years if I don’t get some help. The state is supposed to protect me but that wasn’t the case here and they are severely punishing me for defending myself. They have violated my eighth amendment right to due process of the law and the paperwork to prove it is available.
They have also denied me my prescription glasses from
I’ve exhausted all of my administrative remedies and got them to respond in a way now where they wouldn’t do in an outside court later and I am still provoking them into showing their true colors in that aspect. I have no family and I am a long way from home. I am black and Reid is white and from NC so you know how that goes.
Charles E. Austin #0824181
Normally I print out information on the inmates from the state web sites. NC has a site that gives information on the prisoner’s crime, sentence, location, picture and other information. In Charles case there is no picture and all information is nor available to the public. They don’t even say where he is incarcerated. This tells me that they do not want anyone to know where he is and why he is there. It sort of sounds like they have him under wraps and that they are holding him incommunicado.