A former lieutenant at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover has been found guilty for his participation in a cover-up after one of his junior officers physically abused a prisoner.

After a five-day federal jury trial, Jermaine Sturgis, 41, of Laurel, Delaware, was found guilty on Friday of conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer. Sturgis’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict.

The charges stem from a July 2021 beating of a prisoner who was first taken to a room to be strip-searched. During the episode, the handcuffed prisoner was punched several times in the head after an argument about how he was wearing his face mask below his nose, according to court records.

The prisoner has been identified only by the initials K.K. Several other officers have been charged in connection to the incident.

Prosecutors argued that after the prisoner’s beating, Sturgis and other officers conspired to delete a video recording showing K.K.’s injuries. During the investigation, Sturgis made false statements to state and federal investigators, prosecutors said.

Sturgis now faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count in his conviction. His sentencing has been scheduled for April 9.