Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After four days of trial, a federal jury convicted former West Virginia correctional officer Chad Lester, 35, of Odd, on Monday, January 27, 2025, of conspiracy to engage in witness tampering, witness tampering, and making false statements in connection with an assault by other correctional officers that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B, on March 1, 2022.
Evidence at trial proved that while a lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, Lester conspired with other officers to cover up the use of unlawful force on Q.B. Lester instructed correctional officers to provide false statements to state investigators and added false and misleading information to a correctional officer’s official jail incident report. On or about October 5, 2023, Lester made false statements to the FBI about the circumstances surrounding Q.B.’s injuries and death.
“Mr. Lester was the ringleader of the effort to cover up this horrific beating and keep the truth from the light of justice. He obviously failed at that,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I grew up with a strong sense of conviction to protect people who were being taken advantage of by people who were stronger, more powerful or smarter than they were. I always felt that if I could make things right, I should. This is a case where I got that opportunity, with the assistance of the investigators, the trial team and all those who helped hold Mr. Lester and the other defendants accountable.”
Evidence at trial showed that on March 1, 2022, correctional officers used unreasonable force while restraining Q.B. after he tried to push past officers and leave his assigned pod. Several officers then conspired to violate Q.B.’s civil rights by unlawfully punishing Q.B. to retaliate against him for his attempt to push past officers and leave the pod. As a part of that conspiracy, officers brought Q.B. to an interview room knowing it was a “blind spot” at the jail — meaning, there were no surveillance cameras to record what happened inside the room. Officers used unreasonable force against Q.B. in the interview room, all while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone. Officers continued to use unreasonable force on Q.B. while transporting him from the interview room to the jail’s A-Pod, during which time he became limp and was unable to walk on his own.
Lester instructed correctional officers to include false information in their incident reports, as well as to leave out relevant, truthful information about the assault. Lester retaliated against officers he suspected of having provided truthful information to state investigators by threatening to assault them and by giving them difficult and undesirable work assignments at the jail. Lester also threatened a correctional officer, stating that he would assault anyone who provided truthful information about the circumstances of Q.B.’s injuries and death. Lester also provided false statements to the FBI about the circumstances surrounding officers’ unlawful use of force against Q.B.
Lester is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison.
Lester is among six former Southern Regional Jail correctional officers indicted in connection with the assault and death of Q.B. and the subsequent cover-up. Lester’s co-defendants previously pleaded guilty:
- Ashley Toney, 25, of Fairdale, and Jacob Boothe, 27, of Rainelle, each pleaded guilty on August 8, 2024, to violating inmate Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the use of unreasonable force by other correctional officers. Toney and Boothe each pleaded guilty to a criminal information in lieu of the offenses charged in the indictment. Toney is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2025, and Boothe is scheduled to be sentenced on February 18, 2025.
- Mark Holdren, 40, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024, to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil by using unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. Holdren is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2025.
- Johnathan Walters, 33, of Rainelle, pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024, and Cory Snyder, 30, of Shady Spring, pleaded guilty November 19, 2024, each to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil rights by using unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. Walter and Snyder are scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2025.
Prior to the indictment, on November 2, 2023, former Southern Regional Jail correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer, 25, of Bluefield, and Andrew Fleshman, 22, of Shady Spring, eachseparately pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to violate the civil rights of inmate Q.B. by using unreasonable force against him. Wimmer and Fleshman are scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2025.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, Charleston Resident Agency conducted the investigation.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the jury trial. Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-188.
###
A video of the post-trial press conference is available on the office’s YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/CyfBRNXRAiw?si=LLriktDRYhnxnd2q.