Incarcerated man hospitalized after “use of force” by ADOC sergeant at St. Clair prison

By Eddie Burkhalter, Appleseed Researcher

St. Clair Correctional Facility (photo by Bernard Troncale)

Days before the close of 2024, a 53-year-old incarcerated man at St. Clair Correctional Facility was beaten by an officer, requiring hospitalization, according to sources, who tell Appleseed the man was handcuffed when beaten. 

That officer, whom those sources identify as Sergeant Jajuan Howard, has been placed on a “noncontact post pending the outcome of the investigation,” an Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) spokeswoman told Appleseed in a response Thursday. 

Stephen Shamburger’s injuries required hospitalization following the December 27th “Use of Force” incident, the spokeswoman’s response noted. Her reply didn’t name the officer or include details about what occurred.

Mr. Shamburger has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole following a 1995 robbery conviction in Jefferson County. At the time, the sentence was mandatory under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act based on the fact that he had three prior nonviolent felonies: two drug possession convictions and a conviction for breaking into a vehicle. Mr. Shamburger would be eligible for a much shorter sentence under laws in place today. 

Earnestine Shamburger, Mr. Shamburger’s mother, told Appleseed On Tuesday that she hadn’t received information from ADOC on her son’s condition, other than a brief phone call with an employee this week at St. Clair prison who mistakenly told her that her son was at UAB and was to be taken off a ventilator soon. 

“She didn’t tell me anything about what his condition was or how it happened.” Mrs. Shamburger said. “When we were talking she made the mistake of saying the name of UAB hospital, but when I questioned her about where he’s at she said she couldn’t tell me.” 

Mrs. Shamburger on Tuesday filled out an online form on ADOC’s website on Tuesday that family member can use to seek information about incarcerated loved ones, but as of Thursday morning she told Appleseed she has still not received a call regarding her son, and her attempts to reach someone at the prison Thursday morning were unsuccessful. 

“I’ve been calling all morning and I can’t get anybody,” Mrs. Shamburger said. “I’m about to worry myself to death thinking about what his situation is.” 

Mrs. Shamburger also expressed her desire to see the officer held to account. The ADOC spokeswoman told Appleseed that the department’s Law Enforcement Services Division is investigating the incident. 

Sgt. Howard is named in a July 2024 lawsuit filed in federal court that alleges he “punched Plaintiff in his left eye” and held the plaintiff in that suit while two other officers “struck Plaintiff in the face with a baton” and “continued to hit and/or kick him.” That alleged beating continued, and those officers allegedly “continuously stomped, kicked, and assaulted” the man. 

“Plaintiff was beat in and out of consciousness. He remembers hearing one of the Defendants state that he was “going to UAB today” and that he was “gonna die Today,” the lawsuit reads.