Protesters demand Douglas County sheriff to step down

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A group of protesters at a local jail had strong words for the Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller during a weekend protest.

They said the sheriff should be stripped of his job after the tragic death of 30-year-old inmate Rodney Graham. Protesters said the indictments of former jail staffers Stephanie Evans and Kellie Brown are not enough. Their demands come after autopsy reports show that Graham died from acute renal failure after his pleas for help went ignored.

"It could have been our brother. It could have been our father. It could have been our sister or mother that was mistreated and abused at the Douglas County jail," James Bell of the Douglas County Truth and Justice Coalition said.

Graham was put in jail for violating his probation due to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. Officials said Graham told jail staffers he had a life threatening kidney illness. But instead of getting him medical attention, they put him in isolation. Graham died days later.

"It's the most troubling mistreatment of an inmate I've ever seen in my career," Douglas County District Attorney David McDade said.

Jail employees Evans and Brown have since been charged with reckless conduct, but protesters insist that those employees, along with Miller, should face more punishment.

"Whatever policies that were in place that caused this man's death, we believe he was responsible for those policies, and we're asking for accountability today," Bell told Channel 2's Carl Willis.

In the past, Miller said his staff "dropped the ball" and that his staff would do a better job of listening to inmates and diagnosing them in the future. Miller also said employees would take a sensitivity training. But his efforts aren't enough, concerned residents said.

"The GBI need to reinvestigate what took place at the jail. We believe the justice department should get involved and take a look at what has taken place; not only in Rodney Graham's case," Bell said.

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