Lake prison guard fired following beating accusation

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Corrections said Thursday that a state prison guard facing felony battery charges in an alleged off-duty attack has been fired.

Authorities said Keaston Hooks was fired from the Lake Correctional Institution in Clermont.

 Tyree Jones described the injuries he suffered in the alleged attack: "Three orbital fractures, three broken bones which are still broken. Blood clots behind my eye."
 
Jones told Channel 9's Mario Boone that he spent three days at Orlando Regional Medical Center following the alleged March attack. He said he might be facing surgery because of his injuries.
 
A report states that Jones was attacked inside his own home while four children were there.
 
"My son witnessed it, my niece, my 3-year-old daughter," said Jones.
 
Cellphone video, obtained only by Eyewitness News, shows Hooks in handcuffs being placed in the back of a Leesburg police car.
 
But the prison guard never made it to jail. 
 
"The arresting officer received a phone call saying, 'Let him go with a citation,'" said Jones.
 
Despite medical records documenting just how serious Jones' injuries were, Hooks was initially let go with only a misdemeanor ticket.

When contacted by Boone, Hooks declined to comment on the story.

WFTV