Carroll County inmate given 55 additional years after throwing jailer off 2nd floor balcony in 2020
Patrick O'Neil Gentry
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - On Oct. 25, a verdict was reached in the case of Patrick O'Neil Gentry, 37, in Carroll County. The jury found him guilty of Criminal Attempt to Commit Malice Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Obstruction of an Officer. The trial was presided over by Superior Court Judge Dustin Hightower, who subsequently sentenced the defendant to 55 years in prison. Due to Gentry's seven prior felony convictions, this sentence will be served without the possibility of parole.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Lara Todd and DA Investigator Becky Byrd were responsible for prosecuting the case, with Cpl. Jennifer Garmon of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office leading the investigation.
The evidence presented during the trial revealed that on Jan. 12, 2020, jailer Harlee Rood conducted a search of Patrick Gentry's jail cell and his cellmate's cell in search of blankets and laundry bags being hoarded by inmates. Gentry was incarcerated in the Carroll County Jail for offenses including Terroristic Threats, Obstruction of an Officer, and Giving False Information to an Officer.
During the search, when Jailer Rood confiscated a laundry bag from Gentry's cell, he forcibly took it from her, grabbing her by the hair and clothes. He then dragged her out of the cell and threw her from the 2nd floor balcony, which was part of the jail's two-story pod layout. It appeared that Gentry was heading for the stairs to continue his assault on Jailer Rood, but his cellmate intervened, restraining him until other officers arrived to take him into custody and provide assistance to Jailer Rood. She was subsequently diagnosed with a compression fracture of one of her vertebrae at Grady Hospital.
Cpl. Garmon initiated the investigation immediately and retrieved surveillance video capturing the incident, except for what transpired inside Gentry's cell. The footage clearly showed Gentry dragging Jailer Rood from the cell and throwing her off the balcony, with her landing in a concrete shower below. It also depicted Gentry's cellmate stopping him at the top of the stairs until officers arrived.