A Boulder County Jail deputy has been reprimanded for releasing a mug shot in which an inmate was posing, cocking his head to the side and perching his chin on his fist.
It’s jail protocol to take two mug shots of all inmates — one straight on with their hands by their sides and one to the side, said Division Chief Larry Hank, who oversees jail operations. Everyone must be doing the same thing in their mug shots because officers use the photos in line-ups, Hank said.
Dustin Winesberry, 22, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of climbing onto an apartment balcony and telling the woman inside that he wanted to “hang out” with them, according to Boulder police. When the registered sex offender was booked into the jail, Hank said, Winesberry “was being a clown” and the deputy took a shot of him posing.
Instead of deleting the mug shot and putting a hold on Winesberry, meaning he wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the jail until he cooperated, the deputy entered the mug into the system, Hank said. The mug shot was released to the media on Monday.
“When it was brought to our attention, we brought him down and deleted the pose and took a real mug shot,” Hank said.
The new photo was taken Tuesday morning, he said.
“The officer got a verbal reprimand,” Hank said.
Winesberry is still being held at the Boulder County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
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