By Steve Klamkin WPRO News

A Rhode Island correctional officer has been indicted in the death of a prison inmate whose death was initially attributed to choking on a face mask.

A Providence County grand jury Wednesday indicted veteran correctional officer Geoffrey Peters on a count of manslaughter, charging that he was criminally negligent in carrying out his duties. The indictment was announced Friday by Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office.

The indictment said Peters “owed a duty of care” to Timothy McQuesten, who died in prison while awaiting trial five days after the January, 2021 killings of a couple in their Lincoln home.

No details of Peters’ actions or inaction were immediately released. Reports at the time of McQuesten’s death indicated that he choked on a face mask while being monitored in an individual cell.

Peters has been employed as a Correctional Officer since 2006, and has been on administrative leave with pay from his $75,000 per year position since the incident, according to Rhode Island Department of Corrections spokesman J.R. Ventura.

“My condolences go out to the McQuesten family,” Department of Corrections Director Patricia Coyne-Fague said in a statement.

“The allegations against Mr. Peters are extremely serious and do not reflect the professionalism and attention to duty required of a correctional officer and performed by our staff each and every day. This is the reason I immediately asked the Attorney General’s office to investigate, with full access to anything they need to do their job and serve justice. Our staff set high standards and expectations, and we have no tolerance for those who don’t meet them,” Coyne-Fague said.

Peters is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on the manslaughter charge July 20.