MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A corrections officer on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in the case of a mentally ill man who froze to death in an Alabama jail.

Braxton Kee is the 14th employee who has been indicted or pleaded guilty to contributing to the death of Tony Mitchell, 33, who died after being incarcerated in the Walker County jail in January 2023. Kee’s plea agreement, like many other deals that were filed before his, said that a culture of retaliation made him afraid to report Mitchell’s deadly conditions.

Kee plead guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of one year and up to a $100,000 fine.

Mitchell was arrested on Jan. 12 after a relative asked for a welfare check on him. The sheriff’s of

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