Georgia Sheriff indicted on federal charges over use of restraint chair for punishment Jessica Schladebeck
A Georgia Sheriff is facing civil rights charges for ordering detainees to be strapped to restraint chairs for hours on end despite the fact they did not pose any danger to deputies, prosecutors said.
According to an indictment unsealed on Monday, Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is charged with four criminal counts stemming from several incidents involving inmates in law enforcement custody last year. He’s accused of depriving detainees of their right to due process and freedom from use of unreasonable force by officers, amounting to punishment.
USA TODAY
A Georgia sheriff is facing federal civil rights charges after prosecutors say he punished people in his custody – including a 17-year-old boy accused of vandalism – by strapping them in a restraint chair for hours.
Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill was indicted this month after prosecutors alleged he used unreasonable force when ordering pretrial detainees to be restrained for hours even while they posed no threat and complied with police. The indictment was filed April 19 and unsealed by a federal judge Monday.
In one instance, two detainees were strapped side-by-side in restraint chairs for hours last February, according to the indictment. The two were not allowed to use the bathroom, and one urinated on himself, prosecutors say.
Clayton County, Ga., Sheriff Victor Hill is accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his agency s custody by ordering that they be unnecessarily strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours, according to a federal indictment. Hill is seen here in 2005. Gene Blythe / AP
A Georgia sheriff has been indicted on federal civil rights charges, including charges that he approved a policy to use chair restraints.
Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill faces four charges that he deprived detainees of the right to due process and freedom from use of unreasonable force by law enforcement, amounting to punishment. The offenses caused physical pain and resulted in bodily injury to the four detainees during incidents described in the court documents.
Georgia Sheriff Indicted On Federal Charges That He Used Restraint Chair To Punish
By Laurel Wamsley
April 27, 2021
A Georgia sheriff has been indicted on federal civil rights charges, including charges that he approved a policy to use chair restraints.
Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill faces four charges that he deprived detainees of the right to due process and freedom from use of unreasonable force by law enforcement, amounting to punishment. The offenses “caused physical pain and resulted in bodily injury” to the four detainees during incidents described in the court documents.
The indictment, dated April 19, was unsealed Monday. It says Hill regularly received training that force may not be used as punishment.
Clayton County, Ga., Sheriff Victor Hill is accused of violating the civil rights of detainees by ordering that they be unnecessarily strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours, according to a federal indictment. Hill is seen here in 2005. Gene Blythe/AP
toggle caption Gene Blythe/AP
Clayton County, Ga., Sheriff Victor Hill is accused of violating the civil rights of detainees by ordering that they be unnecessarily strapped into a restraint chair and left there for hours, according to a federal indictment. Hill is seen here in 2005. Gene Blythe/AP
A Georgia sheriff has been indicted on federal civil rights charges, including charges that he approved a policy to use chair restraints.