Prosecutors charge former Muskogee County jailers, inmates in beating

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- Two former Muskogee County jailers have been charged with a misdemeanor count for allegedly allowing an inmate to be beaten.<br/><br/>Stacy Gray and Shelley Ford were charged Thursday

Friday, August 26th 2005, 6:39 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- Two former Muskogee County jailers have been charged with a misdemeanor count for allegedly allowing an inmate to be beaten.

Stacy Gray and Shelley Ford were charged Thursday with one count each of cruelty to a prisoner and were released from custody after initial court appearances.

Sheriff Charles Pearson says the women are accused of allowing four jail inmates to beat Alisha Mackey earlier this week.

Mackey is serving a 20-year sentence for permitting her husband to sexually abuse a child, but was in the Muskogee County jail after a preliminary hearing concerning child abuse charges in a separate case.

Pearson says the jailers put Mackey in a cell with the other inmates, who allegedly hit Mackey with their hands and one prisoner hit her with a pay phone receiver.

Pearson says what Mackey was convicted of doing was terrible but that's no excuse for what Gray and Ford are accused of doing.