A Denver Sheriff Department deputy used excessive force when he pepper-sprayed an inmate locked inside a cell after the man threw food on the deputy, disciplinary records show.
Deputy Justin Parchem will serve a 10-day disciplinary suspension. Parchem shot pepper spray through the food slot in the inmate’s cell door, then closed the slot and left the inmate locked in the cell on June 7, according to a Jan. 11 disciplinary letter released to The Denver Post on Friday.
Parchem admitted he was ” a little bit angry” when he used the pepper spray and left the inmate locked in the cell. He was working in a section of the jail that houses people with mental illness and people who had fought with or assaulted deputies, according to the disciplinary letter.
The inmate who threw the food on Parchem was also known to throw feces at deputies.
The internal affairs investigators found that Parchem should not have pepper-sprayed the inmate, and that the deputy had several other options to de-escalate the situation, like moving out of range of the inmate’s throws, closing the door slot, talking to the inmate, calling for help or walking away and returning later.
“Here, Deputy Parchem used force in an instance when no force ought to have been used,” the disciplinary letter found.
Parchem was hired by the sheriff’s department in 2020, the letter says. Part of his suspension was served in late January and the rest will be served in late February.
In an interview with investigators, Parchem admitted that his actions were inappropriate. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
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