Work-Release Inmate Dies at Poultry Processing Plant

He was serving a life sentence.

A 33-year-old man is dead as a result of an industrial accident at the Koch Foods poultry plant in Alabama. Frank Dwayne Ellington died shortly after he was caught in a machine during his shift on late Sunday afternoon. Ellington was working at Koch Foods as part of an inmate release program while serving a life sentence for third-degree robbery.

According to The Outlook, Ellington was held in the Alexander City Work Release Center, a minimum-security correction facility that is home to more than 340 inmates in Alabama. The work-release program transferred inmates across a four-county area to work in various industries.

According to AL.com, Ellington was serving a life sentence after he pled guilty in 2009 for stealing a man's wallet at gunpoint. He was sentenced under Alabama's Habitual Offender Act as he previously served time for both robbery and theft.

The industrial accident is currently under investigation. Koch Foods stopped operations following the incident, and canceled third shift for the evening. IEN reached out to the company, and while the company has yet to issue a formal statement, an employee did confirm that the plant is still shut down.

According to the company, Koch Foods is one of the largest poultry processors in the nation. Ellington had been working at the poultry plant for about five months.

This is IEN Now with David Mantey.

More