Former Clayton Sheriff Victor Hill, fresh out of an Arkansas prison, is not on this May’s primary ballot for the job of the county’s top cop.
But he’s still trying to make his presence felt.
Hill has vigorously opposed the reelection of former protege Sheriff Levon Allen on social media posts, just two weeks after being released from FCI Forrest City where he served about 10 months for a 2022 federal conviction for violating the civil rights of detainees in the Clayton County jail.
The federal bureau of prisons said Hill is now living in community confinement overseen by Atlanta authorities.
“Based on disappointing job performance and poor results, sadly, I will not give any further endorsements to Levon Allen,” Hill wrote in an April 1 Facebook post that also includes a raft of allegations against Allen.
The about face is a big deal in Clayton.
Despite being a convicted felon who has been the subject of an avalanche of lawsuits, Hill has a loyal following. Almost 300 people commented on the post criticizing Allen and more than 160 reposted the message.
“He does have a lot of juice,” said Patricia Pullar, a Clayton resident and former deputy director of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Clayton has always been forgiving of him.”
Hill was sheriff of Clayton between 2005 and 2009 and again from 2012 until 2021, when he was suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp pending the outcome of the federal indictment on the civil rights violations charges.
Over the years, he has had plenty of scrapes with the law.
In 2012, Hill was indicted in Clayton on 32 felony charges (he was cleared on all counts after one day of jury deliberations). He accidentally shot a woman at a model home in Gwinnett in 2015 while he said he was showing her “police tactics.”
In 2018, he issued an arrest warrant for the wife of a former deputy who planned to run against him. Hill alleged the woman had sent him harassing emails and refused to discontinue the communication even after he asked her to stop.
Allen responded to Hill’s accusations on the social media site Nixle, claiming Hill had reached out to him from prison and tried to influence his decisions. Allen said he refused the requests. He did not say what Hill allegedly asked of him.
“Power and vengeance has become his life (sic) mission and I will not succumb to his tirades,” Allen wrote.
Orlando Gooden said both men have a point about the other — neither should have the job.
“He’s spilling the truth about Levon,” Gooden, a Clayton resident, said of Hill. “And when Levon speaks, he is spilling the truth about Victor.”
Riverdale resident Michelle Robinson said if Hill gets involved in the race, it will be chaos because he has the connections and the support to make or break a candidate.
“But then who is he going to support?” she asked. “He has already went against his mentee.”
Others vying for the office against Allen are Jeff Turner, chairman of the Clayton County Commission; Clarence Cox, chief investigator for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office; and Charlene Watson-Fraser, a 24-year veteran of law enforcement who is currently working for the Clayton County Police Department.
Hill has not yet publicly endorsed a candidate.
Donald “Dee Cee” Craddock said whatever influence Hill had, it is time for him to step off the stage and let the county elect new leadership.
“We need a smart sheriff, we don’t need a tough guy,” Craddock said. He added that Clayton doesn’t need any connections to the “Crime Fighter,” as Hill fancied himself while he was in office.
David Shock, a political science professor at Kennesaw State University, said that while Hill may be popular, it’s hard to unseat an incumbent in Georgia. He said short of a major controversy or extremely low turnout, incumbents usually win on the strength of name recognition.
“I’m skeptical that he has that much clout,” Shock said of Hill. “He’ll have more clout if it’s a low-turnout election.”
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