'This is a wake up call': Sheriff releases video of deputies beating inmate at Augusta jail
Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree held a press conference Wednesday morning after finding video of two deputies punching and dragging an 18-year-old inmate at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.
The inmate, identified Wednesday as Alvin Yarbary Jr., 18, of Augusta, filed an officer grievance and made the report of unnecessary force against the deputies on Friday, according to officials. When the detention center's Intelligence Division investigated the complaint, it found video of the assault, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
The video shows two deputies, identified by the agency as Gerardo Sanchez Jr., 28, and Joshua Mack Jackson, 21, carrying Yarbary across a cell block. Without being physically provoked, the deputies stopped in the middle of the room to strike Yarbary multiple times on the ground. They then dragged him across the floor, put him into a room, closed the door, and walked away.
"Here at the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, we feel that no one is above the law," Roundtree said. "While we take no pride in locking up one of our own, we will not hesitate to do so if the situation warrants it."
Sanchez and Jackson were both fired, arrested Tuesday and charged with simple battery and violation of oath of office. The sheriff said Yarbary only received superficial injuries from the incident and did not require medical attention.
Roundtree did not clarify who deemed Yarbary did not need medical attention.
The age and residence on the report is correct, only the last name was misspelled.
Yarbary was arrested in February 2022 and is charged with reckless conduct, four counts of armed robbery and two counts of felony interference with government property, according to the sheriff's office.
Both deputies were newly employed
The two deputies charged in the incident were newly employed by the sheriff's office, according to Georgia P.O.S.T. records. They also did not have any law enforcement experience prior to starting with the sheriff's office.
Jackson began working for the sheriff's office on April 2, 2022 and only received a total of 24 hours of training, according to P.O.S.T. records.
Those classes included network operator training, security awareness training, jail orientation, stun gun training, physical fitness and fundamentals of shooting, according to records.
Jackson did not have any training hours in the categories of deadly force, de-escalation or community policing, according to training records.
Sanchez began working for the sheriff's office on Oct. 1, 2022 and received 54 hours of training, according to P.O.S.T. records.
Unlike Jackson, Sanchez did receive training in use of deadly force and de-escalation, supervision of inmates, jail operations, inmate rights, and communication skills, according to records.
In the press conference, Roundtree did not confirm if there were any experienced jailors on duty during the incident.
A dozen Richmond County deputies arrested over the last year
Roundtree reported that, prior to this incident, over the last year, 12 Richmond County deputies have been arrested for various offenses, six of which were for excessive force.
In December 2022, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations arrested three Richmond County deputies after a suspect was assaulted at the sheriff's office.
The GBI investigation revealed the suspect was struck in the face and stomach while handcuffed in an elevator at the sheriff’s office, according to a news release. Deputies also slammed the suspect against an exterior wall of the sheriff’s office while handcuffed and being escorted into the building.
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"The use of excessive force is never warranted and will not be tolerated," Roundtree said. "I have directed the senior leadership of this agency to identify any gaps in training or culture that may have contributed to this many incidents. We've also consulted with our in-house counselor to see if we can identify any warning signs that may have been missed or that we can take a look at to identify if a deputy may be in crisis or going through personal issues."
When asked about protocols being put in place at the detention center in order to prevent this happening again, Roundtree said this wasn't about policy as much as it was about the mentality of the employees and inmates.
"Some of the responses from interviews that we take to heart is, 'You don't know what it's like to be in here,'" he said. "The inmates are incarcerated for 24 hours. The jailer is in that environment for at least 12 hours a day. So, we (got to) look to see what toll that plays on them."
Deputies charged in past year:
Deputy Quincy Cannon - Battery and violation of oath of office
Deputy Andrew Acosta - Simple battery and violation of oath of office
Deputy Robert Wilson - Violation of oath of office
Deputy jailer Michael Rivera - Aggravated assault, terroristic threats and acts and violation of oath of office
Deputy Dearius Fluellen - Felony sexual assault and violation of oath of office
Deputy jailer Diane Maultsby - Reckless conduct
Deputy Jermaine Rockett - Violation of oath of office and distributing items prohibited for possession by inmates
Deputy Tyler Wood - Financial transaction card fraud and violation of oath of office
Deputy David Lewis Wilburn - Simple battery, family violence
Deputy Lamar Washington - Disorderly conduct, simple assault and interfering with a police officer
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Sheriff Roundtree holds press conference to discuss deputies' arrests
