A former lieutenant at Southern Regional Jail has been found guilty on charges connected to the deadly assault of an inmate. In November 2023, Chad Lester, along with five former correctional officers – Mark Holdren, Cory Snyder, Johnathan Walters, Jacob Boothe and Ashley Toney – were indicted in the death of 37-year-old Quantez Burks. Citing court records, Eyewitness News reported Lester misled FBI agents during a voluntary interview and instructed officers to provide false and misleading information regarding Burks’ behavior. The indictment said Lester threatened coworkers who provided a truthful account of the incident with assault or by forcing them to complete undesirable work within the lockup facility. Sentencing for Lester is scheduled for April 16.