The U.S. Marshal’s Service in May put several prisoners – who were in the courthouse to testify on opposite sides of a criminal case – in the same lockup cell at the federal courthouse, a situation that resulted in one of them being beaten up.
The service is conducting an internal investigation, and four prisoners have been indicted on witness-retaliation charges.
Shawn Shields and Vernon Templeman, defense witnesses in a tax-fraud case against fellow Cañon City inmates, are accused of beating a prosecution witness May 23, according to indictments unsealed Wednesday.
Carl Pursley and Wendel Wardell Jr. are accused of conspiring to arrange the beating of the witness who had testified against them. They were convicted of cheating the U.S. government out of more than $20,000 by filing fraudulent tax returns from their cells in Cañon City.
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Ken Deal said Wednesday he couldn’t comment but did say it’s not standard procedure to hold prisoners on opposing sides of a case in the same cell.
