N.C. inmate alleges prison guard abuse

RALEIGH, N.C., June 4 (UPI) -- An inmate at a maximum security prison in Taylorsville, N.C., alleges he was beaten and abused by correctional officers at the site.

The Raleigh (N.C.) Times & Observer said Thursday that paralyzed inmate Timothy Helms alleged in his first public interview since he was injured at Alexander Correctional Institution last August that prison guards were to blame for his injuries.

"They couldn't break me. He (one of the officers) said no human being can withstand this sort of punishment and survive," Helms told the newspaper of the 2008 incident.

Helms alleges guards slammed his head into a concrete wall and used batons on him while he restrained with handcuffs and a collar and leash. Helms suffered from torso bruises, two skull fractures and brain damage caused by excessive bleeding.

The state Department of Correction and the State Bureau of Investigation say they've been unable to verify the inmate's account of how he received those injuries. State Secretary for Correction Alvin Keller said Helms, who was imprisoned in relation to a deadly drunk driving accident, may have received the injuries as a result of a fall, the News & Observer said.