Beaver, West Virginia – May 16, 2025 — A former lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for orchestrating a cover-up of a fatal assault on an inmate by correctional officers under his supervision.
Chad Lester, the former supervisor, was convicted in January by a federal jury on three felony obstruction charges: witness tampering, conspiracy to tamper with witnesses, and making false statements. The charges stemmed from his efforts to conceal the 2022 beating death of Quantez Burks, a 35-year-old inmate, by fellow officers.
According to federal prosecutors, Lester threatened subordinate officers with violence and retaliation, falsified official reports, and instructed staff to deliver a coordinated false narrative to investigators. He also personally lied to authorities during the federal investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said seven other officers involved in the assault pleaded guilty and cooperated with the prosecution, testifying against Lester during trial. Among them:
- Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters admitted to conspiring to use unreasonable force, which led to Burks’s death.
- Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to violating Burks’s civil rights by failing to intervene during the beating.
- Steven Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman also admitted to conspiring to use unreasonable force.
So far, only Lester and Wimmer have been sentenced. Sentencing hearings for the remaining five officers are scheduled for next month, with Fleshman’s hearing set for July.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia condemned Lester’s conduct:
“On the defendant’s watch, correctional officers killed an inmate, and the defendant conspired with them to cover up their crimes. The defendant violated the public’s trust in the law enforcement system he had sworn to uphold.”
The case was investigated by the Pittsburgh Field Office of the FBI, and is part of a broader federal effort to hold law enforcement and correctional officers accountable for civil rights violations.
