Charges dropped against Black inmate beaten in Georgia jail cell, DA says
WJXT, CAMDEN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, CAMDEN COUNTY JAIL, CNN
By Melissa Alonso and Devon M. Sayers, CNN
Prosecutors have dropped all charges against a Black man who was beaten by multiple sheriff’s office employees while he was in custody at a Georgia jail in September 2022, according to a new court filing.
Attorneys for the man, Jarrett Hobbs, also reached a “significant settlement agreement” with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office to resolve all civil claims from the incident, the lawyers said in a statement.
In November, five Camden County Sheriff’s Office employees were placed on administrative duty amid an ongoing internal and a state investigation launched after surveillance video showed the employees beating Hobbs in a jail cell.
Three employees of the jail were charged with battery and violating the oath of office, while two others were disciplined.
“Let’s be clear: no one deserves to be beaten like that,” Hobbs’ attorney Harry Daniels said in a statement. “This settlement doesn’t make up for that, not by a long shot. But, at the end of the day, Mr. Hobbs’ charges were dropped, the officers who beat him have been charged and this settlement gives him and his family a new way forward. That’s something we can all be proud of.”
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.
Hobbs had been on probation on a federal case out of North Carolina and violated that by being in Georgia, where he was charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance, and assault, battery and obstruction charges, according to the warrant dismissal.
“State declines to prosecute drug and traffic charges further in the interests of justice,” the dismissal said, adding there is “insufficient evidence to prove that defendant is guilty” of the assault, battery and obstruction charges.
The criminal charges against Hobbs included the charges for assault, battery and obstruction for justice which deputies filed after the beating, his attorneys said in the statement.
Glynn County District Attorney’s Office confirmed all the charges from the incident were dropped, but declined to provide additional comment.
CNN has reached out to Camden County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
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