DA drops charges against Black inmate attacked by deputies in Camden County Jail
CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. - Prosecutors have dropped all charges against a Black inmate seen on security footage being attacked by officers at a Georgia jail.
Jarrett Hobbs, a 41-year-old Black man from North Carolina, was booked into the Camden County Jail in coastal Georgia on Sept. 3, 2022 on traffic violation and drug possession charges. Security video from the same night shows Hobbs standing alone in his cell before five guards rush in and surround him.
As jailers try to hold Hobbs by his wrists, one of them starts punching Hobbs in the back of the head and neck. The video shows at least two other guards throwing punches. A second video from a camera outside the cell shows jailers dragging Hobbs through the open door and hurling him against a wall. A deputy rapidly raises his right knee and foot a few times, though it’s unclear if he was striking Hobbs. The struggle continues until Hobbs, who is out of the camera frame, appears to be pinned on the ground. The entire confrontation lasts about a minute.
New video with sound shows Black prisoner beaten by several deputies
Attorneys and civil rights activists held a news conference to discuss the now viral video that was taken inside a Camden County Detention Center. FOX 5 Atlanta is told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation.
Additional footage shows a deputy appearing to strap Hobbs into a restraint chair after the beating and not providing medical aid.
After the attack, Hobbs was placed in solitary confinement.
When Hobbs' lawyers released the video in November 2022, Officials with the Camden County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the sheriff had reviewed the video with members of his command staff and ordered an internal investigation "to begin immediately." Three employees, 21-year-old Braxton Massey, 23-year-old Mason Garrick, and 24-year-old Ryan Biegel, have since been arrested and charged with battery of an inmate and violating the oath of office.
Mason Garrick, Ryan Biegel, and Braxton Massey, are charged with battery of an inmate, and violating the oath of Office. (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
The Sheriff’s Office said two other employees involved face disciplinary actions resulting from the findings of the internal investigation.
Thursday, Hobbs' attorneys announced that the Glynn County District Attorney's Office has dropped all criminal charges against Hobbs, including charges of assault, battery, and obstruction of justice which were filed by deputies after the beating.
In the warrant dismissal, the district attorney said that they declined to prosecute the chargers "in the interest of justice." The charges after the attack were declined due to "insufficient evidence," Chief Assistant District Attorney Nigel Lush writes.
Hobbs' attorneys also say they reached a "significant settlement agreement" with the Camden County Sheriff's Office to resolve all civil claims.
"Let’s be clear: no one deserves to be beaten like that," 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."