An Atlantic City man who was allegedly beaten while in state prison is back in the general prison population, his mother said Monday night.
"My son is free, you all," Nadine Hathaway told friends and supporters through Facebook Live late Monday night.
Dontae Hathaway, 31, was allegedly beaten last month after he filed a grievance against a corrections officer at Bayside State Prison, where he was serving a drugs and gun sentence.
There was an investigation and a hearing, Department of Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman said. But he could not comment on the outcome.
"We do not discuss internal discipline," he said.
But a source close to the case told BreakingAC that Hathaway was sanctioned, however that was modified on appeal because of his clean Sanctions modified on appeal.
Hathaway's family first became worried after the family member of another inmate passed on a message saying he had been beaten, and then couldn't get in touch with him.
Attorney Ralph Paolone said even he could not get through.
The state Department of Corrections confirmed to BreakingAC on April 22 that there was an incident involving Hathaway and corrections officers at Bayside the week before that was being investigated.
Hathaway had been moved to Southern State Prison, just a short distance from Bayside.
Two days later, the family was told they would have a special visit with Hathaway that Wednesday, April 26.
Nadine Hathaway confirmed she was able to visit with her son, but said she could not comment on what was said or his condition.
But on Monday night, she proudly announced that her son had called her to say any charges against him in the incident had been dropped and that he was out of lockdown.
She said he did not mention whether any officers would face discipline.
Nadine Hathaway, who lives in North Carolina, said she won't give up fighting for inmates at the Cumberland County prison her son was moved from, and where she has heard other stories.
She said it's a promise she made.
"I'm not stopping until they all get justice," she told BreakingAC.
