Four guards at Louisiana’s maximum-security have been accused of using excessive force on an inmate and then trying to cover it up, the state Department of Corrections said Monday.

The guards, two of whom are from Mississippi, were arrested Monday on one count each of malfeasance in office, the West Feliciana Sheriff’s Office said. More charges are pending, corrections spokesman Ken Pastorick said in a news release.

The inmate suffered minor injuries while being moved to a disciplinary unit about 2 a.m. April 9 at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Pastorick said.

The inmate told medical staffers what had happened. They told prison investigators, who immediately notified the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office and put the guards on administrative leave, the statement said.

Pastorick said investigators found that the guards failed to accurately report the incident.

An online directory did not find working numbers for any of the four. Pastorick said he did not know if they have attorneys who might speak for them.

They were identified as Maj. Karla Williams, 44, of Baton Rouge; Capts. Enrico George, 32, of Woodville, Mississippi, and Roy J. Favre III, 58, of Port Allen; and Master Sgt. Jeffrey Hall, 48, of Gloster, Mississippi.

Williams has worked at the prison since August 2005, George and Favre since October 2012, and Hall since October 2019. It was not immediately clear whether the guards have attorneys who could comment on the charges.

The inmate is white, Pastorick said. He said the man’s injuries are among details not being released because they are part of the continuing investigation.

Photos sent by the department indicate that Williams, Favre and Hall are African-American.