The District of Columbia Department of Corrections has denied a House Judiciary Committee request for body camera footage, security video and medical records from the January 6, 2022 incident in which a prison guard used pepper spray on Ronald Colton McAbee while he was in their custody.
of Rejection Notice The attack is the latest salvo in a war that U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) has been waging since 2023 to obtain and release video showing the attack.
This raises the possibility that the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), could issue subpoenas to compel the disclosure of the documents.
In a July 15 response to Jordan, Nehls and U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), deputy Justice Department prosecutors cited privacy concerns and prison security as reasons for refusing to turn over the surveillance and body camera footage requested by the Judiciary Committee.
“The requested footage includes a schematic layout, entrances and exits, and perhaps most pertinent to safety, the location of security cameras within the unit,” Andrew Mazzucchelli wrote.
“DOC’s primary mission is to ensure the safety and security of our residents, staff and our facilities overall,” Mazzucchelli said. “Releasing the requested footage would pose significant risks to jeopardizing this mission.”
Colton McAbee’s wife, Sarah McAbee, said the DOC letter contained “flimsy excuses.”
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) questions U.S. Marshals Service Chief Ronald Davis about the pepper spray attack on Ronald Colton McAbee (pictured back) during a February 2024 hearing of the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Oversight.Emily Matthews/Office of Congressman Troy Nehls
“I am deeply disappointed that the D.C. Department of Corrections continues to stonewall lawmakers with flimsy excuses for not releasing critical evidence,” McAbee said. “If they had nothing to hide, this information would have been made public a long time ago.”
On June 11, McAbee filed a federal lawsuit against former prison guard Lt. Crystal Lancaster and the District of Columbia for excessive force, violation of his civil rights, distress, and “ongoing physical and mental trauma.” The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees. Lt. Lancaster and the District of Columbia government have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
In June, the DOC allowed Nehls and staff to view body camera footage at DOC offices but refused to provide copies of the videos, the release said. July 1st letter Jordan, Nels and Ogle to DOC Director Thomas Faust.
“There are serious allegations of mistreatment of prisoners, especially after use of force tactics have been deployed.”
The video appears to show an altercation between McAbee and Lancaster, who were in jail awaiting trial on the Jan. 6 charges.
“However, for reasons that are unclear from the video footage, Lancaster appears to specifically criticize McAbee for not wearing a mask. [COVID-19] “Lancaster did not wear a mask and was unable to immediately return to his cell,” the letter stated. “Lancaster and McAbee appear to have exchanged further words, after which Lancaster sprayed the chemical in McAbee’s face.”
“Soon afterwards, the Maccabee was again bombarded with chemical weapons by the Lancaster,” the letter states. “The chemical attacks were separated by only a few minutes.”
The incident occurred in the C2B pod at the Correctional Treatment Facility, which currently houses detainees awaiting trial and convicted detainees awaiting transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons as of Jan. 6. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for detainees charged with federal crimes, contracts with the District of Columbia to house criminal detainees.
Witnesses said the trouble began around 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 5, 2022, when McAbee left his cell and walked to a nearby medical cart to pick up prescription medication. Lancaster, who was suspended and subsequently fired after the incident, yelled at McAbee to put on a COVID-19 mask. McAbee did not comply and continued walking to get his medication from the cart.
After McAbee took the drugs, Lancaster reportedly sprayed him with oleoresin capsicum — a harsh chemical irritant also known as pepper spray or tear gel — and then, after McAbee’s hands were handcuffed behind his back, Lancaster allegedly sprayed him with more pepper spray.
“Mr. McAbee informed Rep. Nehls that he was not given new clothing following the altercation, but rather the clothing he was wearing at the time of the altercation,” the July 1 letter stated. “This is a serious allegation because Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray remains on clothing and skin even after use.”
“It’s clear that a subpoena is needed to shed light on this issue.”
Sarah McAbee said her husband suffered painful aftereffects for days afterward. Even after he was allowed to take a short shower, the substance on McAbee’s skin reactivated and caused a painful burning sensation. He was given a hot shower, which Sarah said was like jumping in a hot tub after getting a third-degree sunburn.
Sarah McAbee told Blaze News that after the spraying incident, her husband was placed in solitary confinement, given no clean clothing for three days and was not given thorough decontamination.
“Malignancy of inmate prisoners is a serious allegation, especially after the use of force has been used,” the letter states. “While DOC claims to provide an ‘orderly, safe, secure and humane environment,’ the video footage of the incident against Mr. McAbee on September 5, 2022 suggests that DOC failed to meet that standard in this case.”
Sarah and Ronald Colton McAbee of Unionville, TennesseeSarah Maccabee, used with permission.
On February 29, McAbee was sentenced to approximately six years in federal prison for the seven criminal counts he was charged with violating on January 6. The U.S. Department of Justice had sought a sentence of 12 and a half years.
A jury found McAbee guilty of assaulting a Metropolitan police officer on January 6, but body camera footage from the officer showed McAbee trying to protect the officer from the mob and guide them back to the police line in front of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
McAbee was part of a group of protesters on January 6 who tried to get medical attention for Roseanne Boyland of Kennesaw, Georgia, after she collapsed outside the Lower West Terrace Tunnel and was reportedly beaten with an inexplicable stick by Metropolitan Police Officer Lila Morris moments later.
McAbee was subsequently transferred from Washington and booked into a federal prison in Rochester, Minnesota, where he is due to begin serving his sentence on January 6th.
Sarah McAbee said she filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General the day after the pepper spray attack but has not received a response.
During a Feb. 14 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Oversight, Nehls told U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis that it was his “personal mission” to ensure the body camera footage was released.
The sheriffs never turned over the body camera video, even though Davis promised to work with Nehls’ staff.
Neals first filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the video in January 2023.
Sarah McAbee said she appreciated the efforts of Niels, Jordan and Ogles to obtain the video and medical records.
“It’s clear that a subpoena is needed to shed light on this issue,” she said.
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