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The indictment comes days after a Camden County sergeant was indicted on federal charges for excessive force and falsifying records.
CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — A former Camden County deputy was indicted Thursday for violating his oath as a law enforcement officer stemming from a 2023 incident involving the use of force against an inmate.
A Camden County Grand Jury handed down the indictment to Jacoby Anderson, who served as a deputy and jailor for the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
The indictment states that Anderson used force against inmate Zyaire Ratliff on May 18, 2023. The investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in 2023 revealed that Anderson hit Ratliff several times with a closed fist.
He was arrested by the GBI in 2023, and the formal indictment was presented on Thursday. Anderson was fired following an internal investigation by the sheriff’s office in 2023.
In 2023, Ratliff spoke alongside other inmates who said there was systemic abuse inside the Camden County jail. He said he saw at least 30 incidents of abuse during his time at the jail.
“Once you come through that door, it’s their rules and this is what it is,” Ratliff said at the time. “If you don’t do what they want, this is the type of thing that will happen.”
Other Camden County deputies charged for use of force
Anderson’s indictment comes just days after a current Camden County sergeant was indicted by a federal grand jury for using excessive force and falsifying records to justify his actions. The 13-count indictment charged CCSO Sgt. Buck Aldridge, 42, with deprivation of rights under color of law and falsifying records, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia.
Aldridge was fired by the sheriff’s office following the indictment.
In July, a former Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriff and jail corporal was sentenced to 16 months in prison for his role in the 2022 beating of a pretrial detainee that garnered national attention.
Ryan Robert Biegel, 27, pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to one count of using unreasonable force against 41-year-old Jarrett Hobbs. Biegel admitted to punching Hobbs five times in the back of the head, and hitting him an additional 22 times in the head and body with his fists and knees, prosecutors said.
Sheriff responds
The Camden County sheriff said the sheriff’s office will continue to fully cooperate with investigating agencies regarding Anderson’s indictment.
“Our responsibility is to earn and keep the public’s trust,” Camden County Sheriff Kevin Chaney said. “When allegations of misconduct arise, we fully support the judicial process and expect everyone who wears this badge to meet the highest standards of professionalism.”
