Former Senior South Woods Corrections Officer Convicted In Inmate Beating
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 2:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BRIDGETON, NJ.- On Thursday, following a trial in Cumberland County Superior Court, a 37-year-old former New Jersey State South Woods Prison Senior Corrections Officer was found guilty on charges in connection with the 2017 beating of a prison inmate.
According to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, on Thursday, July 17, 2025, a Cumberland County Superior Court jury found Cortlen S. Flax, 37, of Woodbury, New Jersey, guilty of second-degree Official Misconduct; and a disorderly persons offense of Simple Assault.
According To The Evidence Presented At Trial
According to the evidence presented at trial, on February 15, 2017, Flax, who was employed as a Senior Corrections Officer at South Woods State Prison, while on duty, entered a prison cell assigned to Julio Valedz, of Jersey City, New Jersey, who was 61 years old at the time. While speaking with Mr. Valdez, Flax, without cause, struck Mr.Valdez on the left side of his head.
The assault was reported the next day to another corrections officer who was escorting Mr.Valdez to the prison’s infirmary. Medical staff noted blood clots and dried blood in Mr. Valdez’s left ear, and he was subsequently diagnosed with a ruptured eardrum. The investigation and the filing of charges in the assault were conducted by Investigators of the New Jersey State Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division.
Following the jury returning their findings of guilt, Superior Court Judge Joseph M. Chiarello, who presided over the nine-day trial, accepted the verdict and scheduled sentencing for September 5, 2025. At that time, Flax faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.
