Georgia sheriff indicted for civil rights violations

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CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. – A federal grand jury indicted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill for alleged civil rights abuses to detainees in Clayton County Jail.

Hill faces four counts of deprivation of federally protected rights.

According to FOX 5, the indictment cites the use of restraint chairs against four inmates by the sheriff’s office. The indictment also alleges the sheriff ordered his employees to use excessive force at the jail last year.

“The indictment alleges specifically, that without justification, Hill ordered his employees to strap his detainees into a restraint chair and keep them there for hours in violation of their constitutional rights,” said Kurt R. Erskine, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

Erskine said Hill deprived the detainees of due process because the force was so excessive it amounted to punishment. Erskine said each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if it is found beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force caused pain and bodily injury, FOX 5 reported.

Hill released a response to the allegations on Tuesday.

“Today I will begin the process of fighting a politically motivated federal legal case,” a statement attributed to Hill said. “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.”

“There was no injury in any of these instances,” Hill’s attorney Drew Findling said.

Hill pleaded not guilty to all four counts and was out on bond Tuesday.