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Former Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty To Lies About CSP Sacramento Inmate's Death

SACRAMENTO (AP/CBS13) - A former California correctional officer pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to submitting a false report in connection with a federal civil rights investigation into the death of an inmate at a Sacramento-area prison.

Ashley Marie Aurich, 32, of Sacramento, lied about seeing another former correctional officer, Arturo Pacheco, reach down and pull the legs out from under a handcuffed inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, in September 2016 as the two guards were escorting the prisoner.

The 65-year-old inmate fell forward, striking his head and upper body on the concrete, and died at a hospital two days later.

Aurich prepared a false report inaccurately detailing how Pacheco brought the inmate to the ground and failing to identify another eyewitness.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced on April 12.

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Arturo Pacheco, 38, of Mather, faces two federal charges of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of falsification of records in a federal investigation.

The two guards were dismissed from their jobs in 2018.

Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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