Centre County prison guard fired after allegations of racial slurs, assault on Black inmate
A white Benner state prison sergeant accused of assaulting and using racial slurs against a Black inmate was fired, the state Department of Corrections said Wednesday.
Dustin Holt, 34, was accused of slapping the inmate in the head, kneeing him six times in the leg and using multiple racist epithets in March, according to an affidavit filed by the DOC’s Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence.
The inmate was left with a bruised thigh and an abrasion on his left hand. Surveillance video captured the assault, the investigator wrote.
It was not the first time the inmate filed a grievance against Holt, who was hired by the state in January 2014.
The inmate previously alleged Holt used a racial slur directed toward him, but the complaint was denied because it was not dated properly, according to the affidavit.
Additional interviews revealed further inaction among prison staff.
A drug and alcohol treatment specialist told the investigator that Holt used a racist epithet in front of her and another inmate two weeks before the alleged assault, according to the affidavit.
It’s unclear when Holt was fired or what discipline he may have faced while the investigation was ongoing. The department declined to comment about potential employee discipline.
Holt, of Bellefonte, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. A defense lawyer was not listed on a court document.
A Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association spokesperson declined to comment, saying Holt is not a member of the union that represents more than 10,000 corrections officers.
Holt was charged in November with one misdemeanor count of official oppression and one summary count of harassment. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 12:47 PM.