ATLANTA — The jury is now deliberating in the federal trial of Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill.
Hill is accused of violating the civil rights of jail inmates by putting them in a restraint chair for hours.
Attorneys made their closing arguments on Friday before handing the case over to the jury just before noon.
The defense argued that Hill was doing his job by keeping his jail and his staff safe, but the government said the sheriff violated his own policy and the law.
Prosecutor Brent Gray said none of the seven detainees in this case displayed violent or uncontrollable behavior at the time they were placed in the restraint chair.
He recounted testimony from jailers who said they were all compliant.
One officer found detainee Glenn Howell “to be a gentleman.”
“Trouble begins when the sheriff shows up,” Gray said.
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He said every officer found no reason to put the detainees in the chair except that the sheriff made them do it.
In his argument, defense attorney Drew Findling questioned why the government never brought in an expert witness to testify about the use of the restraint chair.
He said it’s the sheriff’s duty to protect the jail, its inmates and staff.
“If he has to make it a little uncomfortable, that’s his responsibility,” Findling said.
The sheriff’s office policy says the chair should only be used to prevent inmates from harming themselves, others or damaging property.
Findling said that begins with “whatever brings somebody there.”
He said all seven detainees exhibited violent tendencies before they arrived and have “a history of lying.”
In the final closing argument, prosecutor Brett Hobson said Hill, “Thought no one would ever challenge his authority to do whatever he wanted.”
“You can still establish control in a jail without making a grown man cry,” he said. “This was not about maintaining order, this was about punishing and bullying the inmates.”
The defense went on to say that Hill has a policy that all inmates are checked every 15 minutes and he said that system works.
Hill has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Deliberations continue.
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