A former correctional officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, has been sentenced for his involvement in an assault that led to the death of an inmate. Andrew Fleshman, 22, of Shady Spring, received a sentence of eight years and four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to the plea agreement, Fleshman responded to a call for assistance after inmate Q.B. attempted to leave his assigned pod. When Fleshman arrived, Q.B. was already restrained on the floor. The officers then moved Q.B. to an interview room where they assaulted him while he was handcuffed and posed no threat. Fleshman admitted that the assault was intended as punishment for Q.B.’s actions.
Fleshman pleaded guilty on November 2, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk. On the same day, former correctional officer Steven Nicholas Wimmer also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Q.B., and he was later sentenced to nine years in prison.
Six other defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with Q.B.’s death. In November 2024, Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters pleaded guilty to using unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. They received sentences ranging from 19 years and seven months to 21 years.
In August 2024, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to failing to intervene during the assault on Q.B. Toney was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, while Boothe received three years.
Chad Lester, a former lieutenant at the jail, was found guilty by a federal jury on obstruction of justice charges related to covering up Q.B.’s death. He was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case with prosecution led by Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Further information can be accessed through PACER by searching Case No. 5:23-cr-133.
