‘You just broke my neck' — Man accuses jailer of assault, FBI investigating (2024)

ELYRIA, Ohio — When Jeff Fry walked into the Lorain County jail on May 12, he was facing a misdemeanor bench warrant. He had no idea he’d leave the facility on a stretcher with permanent injuries.

“My head snapped back and that was it,” said Fry as he sat with his left arm in a sling, outside a friend’s home.

Fry said he spent two weeks in the hospital and another four months in a nursing facility recovering from what happened inside the jail that day.

His lawyer said Fry's injuries included a broken neck and permanent spinal cord damage.

Now the FBI is investigating, and Fry's lawyer is preparing a lawsuit, but as far as News 5 investigators could tell, no discipline was ever meted out, and the officer responsible is still on the job.

The 58-year-old Fry said he doesn’t remember much of the incident with a corrections officer that led to the injuries, but said he didn’t deserve what happened that day.

The emotions it brings up were evidenced by the tears that welled up in his eyes when asked about it.

“Well, of course,” said Fry. “Every time I think about it. That’s why I try and be happy. Nothing’s ever easy.”

According to an Elyria police report, officers arrested Fry on an outstanding municipal court bench warrant that evening.

“I didn’t pay my fine,” said Fry. “I was homeless. I had no money.”

The report said Fry was under the influence of alcohol but capable of walking on his own.

Surveillance video from inside the jail showed Fry getting searched.

Then, as a corrections officer walked Fry through the jail’s sallyport area, the video showed Fry, who was handcuffed behind his back, briefly turn away from the jailer.

That corrections officer, Brian Tellier, then appeared to grab Fry and fling him face-first toward a glass wall.

RAW: Jeff Fry tossed against wall by officer

Still handcuffed, and unable to brace himself, Fry’s face and head hit the base of the wall, according to incident reports.

“I was knocked out completely,” said Fry. “Body froze. Couldn’t move. Nothing. Nothing.”

In his report, Tellier told supervisors because of the “risk of potential escape,” he "attempted to place Fry against the wall," but that Fry fell due to his intoxicated state.

While there’s no audio on the surveillance video, Fry said he had no plans to escape.

“I was in handcuffs,” said Fry. “That’s a 15-foot fence. Barbed wire. You can’t climb the fence like that. And I never jumped before, you know, never ran.”

The Elyria police officer who was near the pair when the incident happened reported, “it appeared as though Fry tripped over his own feet.”

He noted in his report that Fry was mumbling and appeared heavily dazed from the impact and that Fry’s eye began to swell and he was bleeding from his mouth.

Fry said he doesn’t remember what happened next.

But jailhouse video showed the jailer picking Fry up and carrying him into a holding area as his legs dragged beneath him.

RAW: Jeff Fry carried into booking area

Fry said that’s where he came to.

“They started talking and asked me how I was doing, and I said I don’t know, you just broke my neck,” said Fry.

Despite that, at no time on the recording does it appear anyone tried to stabilize Fry’s head.

Instead, with Fry seated, propped up against a wall, a nurse checked his vital signs.

On the video, it appeared Tellier twice re-enacted what happened as Fry was being attended to.

“That was not a dangerous situation,” said attorney Nick DiCello, who represents Fry. “There was no need to use any force against him.”

DiCello believes not only was his client assaulted, he also believes officers tried covering it up.

“I mean, if those officers were here on the street corner with us right now, and I did something like that to you, or to Jeff, I’d like to believe both of them would have me arrested and take me to jail for doing it,” said DiCello.

An ambulance was called for Fry.

But according to a letter from the jail’s administrator, it was not a result of the use of force.

Instead, James Gordon told a sheriff’s captain it was for Fry’s “extreme intoxication and low blood pressure.”

That jail administrator, James Goron, is Tellier’s father-in-law, according to a sheriff’s captain.

Since the recording does not contain audio, there’s no way to know what the ambulance crew was told about Fry’s injuries.

But the video showed jail and ambulance staff repeatedly picking up Fry and moving him without any stabilization of his head or neck as they attempted to position Fry on the stretcher.

RAW: Jeff Fry placed on stretcher

According to a report from a jail sergeant, “Fry was forcefully placed onto the gurney and forcefully flipped onto his back.” “This should not have occurred if there was a suspected head or neck injury,” wrote Sergeant David Kish.

Fry said he doesn’t remember it and only saw what happened weeks later on video in an effort to find out what happened.

“I said ‘Oh my God and, you know, a few other choice words,” said Fry.

He said he doesn’t understand why it happened.

“You never get it out of your mind,” said Fry.

For now, he said he’s focused on trying to get back as close to normal as he can.

But Fry said he also wants accountability for what happened to him.

“I don’t see how they could do that to somebody,” said Fry. “Just out of human respect, just treat somebody like he would throw around.”

County records show the sheriff’s office opened an investigation into Tellier’s actions in May.

A lieutenant found that Tellier used inappropriate and excessive force against Fry and falsified county records when he submitted inaccurate incident and use of force reports.

However, more than two months later, there was no indication in records provided by the county in response to a public records request that Tellier was disciplined for any of it.

A sheriff’s captain confirmed this week that Tellier is still working.

A union representative for the corrections officers did not respond to a request for interviews for this story.

Meanwhile, in June, the FBI requested records from the sheriff’s office concerning the incident, and Fry said he’s met with the FBI three times about what happened.

Fry’s attorney said he is preparing to file a civil rights lawsuit on his client’s behalf.

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