CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Governor Brian Kemp decided Wednesday to suspend Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill.
The decision comes as Hill faces federal charges of allegedly violating the civil rights of detainees at the Clayton County Jail.
This week, a Review Commission decided to recommend the suspension and Kemp signed an executive order Wednesday, suspending Hill from office “immediately without further action pending final disposition of the case or until the expiration of his term of office, whichever occurs first.”
n April, a 12-page federal indictment was unsealed charging Hill with four felonies. Prosecutors argue Hill violated the civil rights of four Clayton County jail inmates in 2020.
Hill is accused in the indictment of directing the inmates to be strapped into restraint chairs four hours at a time.
The indictment describes the inmates as being “unarmed, not under the influence of drugs, and offered no resistance.”
According to the indictment, the chair was used as a form of punishment that caused pain and bodily injuries to the inmates.
Sheriff Victor Hill
The sheriff was arraigned on April 27, pleaded not guilty, and was released on $50,000 signature bond.
The Review Commission’s task was to determine if the indictment was related to or impacts the sheriff’s office in a manner that the rights and interests of the public are adversely affected, Kemp’s order stated. Their findings led to the recommendation of Hill’s suspension from office.
Hill was first elected as Clayton County sheriff in 2004 and lost re-election four years later. He won in 2012 to return to the position and most recently was re-elected in 2020.
Throughout his career, the sheriff has not been without controversy. In 2015, Hill was sentenced to 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine after accidentally shooting a friend at her workplace in Gwinnett County.
In 2020, he eliminated 20 members of his jail command staff after learning of unauthorized overtime to the tune of $1 million.
Posted by Alive11