AUGUSTA, Ga. - Two former correctional officers at Augusta State Medical Prison have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the 2020 death of an inmate who died from smoke inhalation after they allegedly ignored a fire in his cell.

What we know:

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Robert Roberson and Marcus Phillips were each charged with violating the inmate’s constitutional rights by showing deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm. Roberson also faces a second charge of falsifying a logbook in an effort to cover up the incident.

According to the indictment, on October 28, 2020, the officers became aware of a smoldering fire inside an inmate’s locked cell but failed to take action.

They allegedly did not extinguish the fire, evacuate the inm

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