2 Rikers Island guards charged with beating an inmate with an IQ of 65 in NY

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Two Rikers Island guards charged with beating an 18-year-old inmate with an IQ of 65 in a supply closet
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Capt. Medzid Kolenovic and Officer Jean Destine pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault and official misconduct charges
The two could get four years in prison if convicted
The case comes on the heels of the suicide of Kalief Browder, 22, who spent three years in Rikers for allegedly stealing a backpack, charges that were eventually dismissed

By Associated Press and Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:57 EST, 4 September 2015 | Updated: 22:20 EST, 4 September 2015

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Capt. Medzid Kolenovic has been charged in the beatdown of a mentally challenged teen at Rikers

Officer Jean Destine has been charged with beating a teen in a supply closet in Rikers Island

Two New York City Rikers Island guards have been charged with assault and other crimes in the beating of a mentally challenged 18-year-old inmate in a prison supply closet last year.

Capt. Medzid Kolenovic and Officer Jean Destine pleaded not guilty on Friday to misdemeanor assault and official misconduct charges, as well as to felony charges that they altered use-of-force documents and falsely claimed workers' compensation.

A Department of Correction spokeswoman said Kolenovic, 40, and Destine, 42, are being suspended.

The teen they are accused of being, Ambirorix Celedonio, was being held on a gang assault charge, but is no longer in custody and his case has been sealed.

His attorney, Jenay Nurse, said her client has an IQ of 65 and was goaded into a verbal argument by Kolenovic in a cafeteria at Rikers on December 9, 2014.

City investigators found that Kolenovic, whose confrontation was partially caught on security cameras, then invited Celedonio into the supply closet to settle the dispute, officials said.

Celedonio emerged from the closet, which had no cameras, with a bloodied and bruised face; he was then rushed to a health clinic, officials said.

'This egregious act should never have happened,' said Nurse. 'These were two grown men severely assaulting not just a kid, but also a kid who is mildly mentally retarded.'

In a statement, jails Commissioner Joseph Ponte said officials are trying to better recruit and train correction officers.

The incident apparently started when Celedonio and Kolenovic got into an argument in the mess hall of the juvenile center, according to the New York Daily News.

Kolenovic allegedly invited the boy to 'settle the matter' inside a broom closet, where there were no cameras, said prosecutors.

Surveillance camera footage then showed the teen emerging from the closet bruised and bloody.

'These officers led an inmate to an unseen closet and beat him bloody,' said Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters, according to the Daily News.

Kolenovic is also accused of lying after the alleged beatdown on his workers compensation benefits report, claiming he had injuries to his torso and face, when he originally said he had hurt just his hands.

The officers claim they were defending themselves and that Celedonio was the aggressor.

If convicted of the highest charge, the duo could end up being the prisoners instead of the jailors - for up to four years.

Rikers Island (above) is the notorious prison located on an island between Queens and the Bronx - Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for reforms for the horrific treatment juveniles can endure there

The case of Kalief Browder (pictured) shocked the nation: At 16, was imprisoned at Rikers for three years after being accused of stealing a backpack, charges that were never proven. He committed suicide at 22.

In June, the city was shocked when Kalief Browder, 22, who was sent to Rikers Island when he was 16 for an eventually dismissed charge of stealing a backpack, committed suicide.

Browder insisted he was innocent and refused to admit to guilt as part of a plea bargain.

He spent three years in prison despite no charge and was subjected to up to 23 hours a day alone in his cell.

His case was covered by The New Yorker magazine and was cited by Bill de Blasio when he promised prison reforms upon his election to mayor.

Celedonio's beating occurred the week before Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Rikers with his concerns.

Last August, a federal investigation found Rikers was a dangerous place for 16- 17- and 18-year-old inmates, who were routinely beaten by jail guards, each other and regularly placed in solitary confinement.

Since then, officials have done away with solitary for teenage inmates and overhauled the way 16- and 17-year-olds are jailed.