Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is free on bond after being indicted on 4 federal charges of violating the civil rights of jail inmates.
Sheriff Hill made his first appearance on the charges in federal court Tuesday afternoon in downtown Atlanta. He pleaded not guilty. The judge granted Hill a $50,000 bond.
The sheriff is accused of ordering personnel inside the jail in Clayton County to punish victims by strapping them into a restraint chair and leaving them for hours.
According to prosecutors, the four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law carry a ten year maximum prison sentence.
The victims maintain that they had been compliant with law enforcement during and after their arrest and never posed a threat to anyone.
What Sheriff Victor Hill says about the allegations
Hill posted the following statement about the charges:
Today I will begin the process of fighting a political motivated federal legal case. My legal team are the only ones authorized to speak on the details of this matter, and they are confident about the facts of this case. Meanwhile, as we go through this process, I will continue to focus on the mission of fighting crime in Clayton County for continued success .
What the alleged victims say happened to them
Among the alleged victims is a man identified as J.A. who claimed that after being arrested on February 25, 2020, during the booking process, he was escorted by a group of deputies and correction officers to the fingerprinting area where Hill allegedly confronted J.A. According to the indictment, during J.A.’s interaction with Hill, J.A. was surrounded by law enforcement personnel, was handcuffed most of the time, and never posed a threat to anyone. Despite those facts, J.A. was strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours per Hill’s orders. J.A. had been arrested for the alleged assault of two women at a Clayton County grocery store.
Three other victims have similar restraint stories.
A man identifed as Victim J.H. says that during his time in the restraint chair, he was "not allowed to go to the restroom and urinated on the restraint chair due the length of his confinement." He'd been arrested on April 27, 2020, following a domestic disturbance.
Victim C.H. contends that he had just turned 17 when he was arrested on April 26, 2020. He says that he was strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours per Hill’s orders. The teenager had been accused of vandalizing the family home during an argument with his mother.
Another victim, a landscaper identified as Victim G.H., says that Sheriff Hill got in the middle of a pay dispute between G.H. and a deputy. It allegedly was about work that G.H. had done at the deputy's home for which he was requesting payment. A matter which G.H. contends did not involve Hill. Yet, according to G.H. Hill starting texting him, accused him of harrassing the deputy, and on April 24, 2020 told G.H. that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. G.H. said that after he'd turned himself in, Sheriff Hill ordered him placed in a restraint chair where he remained for hours.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District Kurt Erskine said in a press release, “While the vast majority of our law enforcement officers perform their duties bravely, professionally, and with honor, those few who abuse their power must be held accountable." Erskine added, “Our constitution prohibits law enforcement officers from using unreasonable force. Without justification, Sheriff Hill allegedly ordered four detainees to be strapped into restraint chairs for hours. In so doing, he caused pain and injury to the detainees in his care. Sheriff Hill’s actions, as alleged by the Grand Jury, deprived the citizens he was sworn to protect of their civil rights. Such abuses of power not only harm the victims, they also erode the community’s trust in law enforcement.”
Atlanta FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Macrae said, “Badges and guns don't come with the authority to ignore the Constitution. They come with the responsibility to protect it from anyone who would violate it, especially another public servant." Macrae added, “Sheriff Hill is alleged to have abused his privileges and abandoned his responsibilities and the FBI is committed to restoring trust in law enforcement by holding him accountable.”
The 56 year old Hill was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard and is presumed innnocent until found guilty.
Sheriff Hill's history
Hill has been making headlines since he was elected sheriff in 2004.
He fired 34 deputies upon taking office. Reports indicate that a lawsuit from a former deputy was settled for $6.5 million.
Hill was voted out of office in 2008, and was replaced by Kem Kimbrough. Hill defeated Kimbrough in 2012 and returned to the Clayton County Sheriff's office.
In May 2015, Hill was found not guilty of all 27 racketeering charges against him.
August 2016 is when Hill pleaded no contest in the shooting of a real estate agent inside a vacant Gwinnett County home. The sheriff claimed that the shooting was accidental and was ordered to pay a $1000 fine and was placed on probation for a year.