Who is Victor Hill? Clayton County sheriff strapped inmate to chair, locked him in suicide watch cell
CLAYTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill has been indicted by a federal grand jury for civil rights violations. He faces four counts of deprivation of rights under the color of law as the indictment alleged he abused at least four inmates using a restraint chair in the Clayton County Jail.
Hill has declined all allegations against him calling it a "politically motivated federal legal case". In his statement, the sheriff said he will be fighting back against all claims made against him. "My legal team are the only ones authorized to speak on the details of this matter, and they are confident about the facts of this case. Meanwhile, as we go through this process, I will continue to focus on the mission of fighting crime in Clayton County for continued success," Hill shared in a statement addressing the charges against him on April 27.
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Who is Victor Hill?
Sheriff Victor Hill was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He studied criminal justice at Trident Technical College and his law enforcement career began at 18 years of age when he joined the City of Charleston Police Department. Hill was hired by Clayton County Police and was elected to represent Clayton County citizens as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003 to 2004.
During his tenure, he successfully authored four bills that became Georgia law: (1) Crackdown on drug crimes, (2) domestic violence, (3) use of bulletproof vests during the commission of a crime, and (4) stricter supervision of child molesters preventing them from hiding under first offender status. In 2005, Hill became the first African American elected Clayton County Sheriff.
Victor Hill's indictment
A judge had granted a motion by the government on Monday, April 26, to unseal Hill's indictment by a federal grand jury dated April 19. The indictment cites the sheriff's office used restraint chair and alleges the sheriff ordered his employees to use excessive force at the jail last year. Hill was taken into federal custody in the morning of April 27 and he was set to appear in court later in the afternoon.
A statement from the desk of SHERIFF VICTOR HILL https://t.co/84i00myNY3
— SheriffVictorHill (@SheriffVHill) April 27, 2021
The accusations made in the suit include claims that Hill had one of his alleged victims Glenn Howell strapped into a chair for hours. He then locked the inmate in a suicide watch cell wearing nothing but a paper gown. In a chat with investigative journalist Mark Winne in June 2020, Howell said he remembered sitting in heavy equipment doing a landscaping job at the home of a lieutenant who worked for Hill. Fast forward to the next 10 days, Howell found himself strapped down in a restraint chair.
Attorney Lee Sexton confirmed the allegations about 'Victim GH' in the filing is about his client Howell who had done some work for one of Hill's deputies and threatened legal action against the deputy for non-payment of his dues. The lawyer said Howell received calls from someone claiming to be Hill, suggesting he back off his pursuit of the deputy's debt.
Victor Hill's lawyer has denied all allegations
Howell didn't believe it was Hill, not even after a FaceTime call where he claimed the sheriff used profanity. The next day he learned that heavily-armed Clayton Country fugitive investigators had visited a couple of homes in Butts County looking to arrest him on a misdemeanor charge of harassing communications.
Defense attorney Drew Findling is representing Hill in this case. He denied all allegations against his client saying, “Victor Hill has done nothing wrong regarding anybody."