Correctional officer charged in connection to death of inmate at Milwaukee County Jail

By WDJT Staff

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A correctional officer is facing criminal charges in connection to the death of a Milwaukee County Jail inmate, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. Forty-nine-year-old Octaviano Juarez-Corro was found unresponsive in his cell in January. Police said the inmate was in a single-occupant cell and showed no obvious signs of injury or trauma.

The sheriff’s office says Officer Laquisha Cowser, 32, has been charged with misconduct in public office — a charge carrying potential penalties of a fine up to $10,000, imprisonment up to three-and-a-half years, or both.

According to a criminal complaint, Cowser falsified a record, reporting that she completed inmate safety checks when she admittedly did not. The complaint says Juarez-Corro died in one of the cells she did not check at the Milwaukee County Jail.

“This office holds itself to high standards in its service to Milwaukee County,” said Sheriff Denita Ball, “and no member of MCSO is exempt from those standards. When a member of this agency is alleged to have broken the law in the performance of their duty, they will be subject to prosecution, and if they are convicted, they will face consequences as determined by a judge or a jury. One death in our custody is one too many. But we are confident these charges demonstrate the MCSO’s commitment to ensure that an independent investigation was conducted, regardless of the result.”

Cowser has been employed at the Milwaukee County Jail for approximately four years. She’s been relieved of duty with pay, according to the sheriff’s office, pending the outcome of the case.

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