LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Three Lake County correctional officers are out of jail Thursday after being accused of beating an inmate earlier this month.

Capt. Milton Gass and correctional officers Hunter Lingo and Joshua Petersilge were arrested on Wednesday, following an investigation by the inspector general.

According to the probable cause affidavit, video recorded by an inmate with a contraband cell phone helped in the investigation.

Lingo, according to the affidavit, was seen on the video punching the inmate five times in the head or upper torso area.

In an interview with investigators, Lingo said the punches were "distractionary strikes" in an effort to secure the inmate's hands and cuff him.

A nurse said afterwards, Lingo was seen celebrating and mimicking how he punched the inmate, stated the affidavit.

Other officers identified Petersilge as the one who was stomping and kicking the inmate in the video.

Both Petersilge and Lingo have been charged with battery.

Gass faces perjury charges, accused of lying and leaving other information out of a Use of Force Incident report.

The affidavit lists six officers who were involved in the beat down and the Florida Department of Corrections says other arrests or administrative action may be forthcoming.

"We will continue to work cooperatively with the Inspector General as they continue to investigate all of those found to be involved in this incident," Dept. of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch said in a statement. "This investigation is not over. Anyone found to have acted outside their authorities or the standards of our Department will be held accountable."

As for the three who were arrested, they have been fired. They're scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. August 19.

Inmate's Sister Weighs in on Arrests

Shantell Grace told Spectrum News 13 it is hard to watch video that appears to show correctional officers beating up her brother Otis Miller.

“It doesn’t matter what he had or what he did. It was excessive force, and it shouldn’t be tolerated,” Grace said.

Grace says she didn’t even recognize her brother when she saw him at the prison the day after the July 8 incident.

“His jaw is fractured, ribs, damage to his eye,” said Grace. “He didn’t look like himself at all.”

Grace says a drug-related conviction nearly two decades ago landed her brother in prison. 

“Some people feel like if someone’s incarcerated, they deserve whatever happens to them, and that’s not true,” she said.

Grace says she’s happy to see the arrests and charges, but she’s still skeptical the three will be found guilty. She also believes the state corrections system needs to do more to make sure incidents like this don’t happen to more inmates.

“I love my brother, so I’m not going to sit back and let somebody do this to him and not be a voice for him,” said Grace.