A former detention officer with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to choking a female detainee until she lost consciousness in June 2023.
Monique Clark, 32, of Stone Mountain, was sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised released.
“Instead of carrying out his mission to ensure the safety and security of detainees in his custody at the Fulton County Jail, Clark abandoned his oath of office when he used excessive force to strangle a pre-trial detainee without cause,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in a news release. “Law enforcement officers who violate their professional duties are not above the law. It is now Clark who will serve time in prison as a result of his reprehensible conduct.”
Clark was arrested days after he used excessive force on an inmate at the North Jail Annex in Alpharetta on June 5. The incident was captured by Alpharetta police officers’ body-worn cameras.
After the incident, Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat said Clark “willfully and intentionally (used) excessive and unnecessary force” during a custody transfer. Clark, who had been a deputy since 2016, was fired.
Alpharetta police released the body camera footage weeks later. It showed the woman, Casey Bennett, not cooperating and cursing at officers. She had been arrested on charges of public intoxication and criminal trespass, both misdemeanors.
As she was standing in front of a scan machine, which takes a mug shot and checks for weapons, Clark placed his right hand on the back of her neck and grabbed the front with the other hand before applying pressure, the video shows.
After Clark let go, Bennett fell and was unconscious for a couple of seconds before standing with the help of an Alpharetta police officer, the footage shows. It also shows her at the nurse’s station before being taken to the hospital.
An internal affairs investigation determined the two Alpharetta officers did not violate any department policy.
Bennett filed a lawsuit against Clark, the city of Alpharetta and other law enforcement officers in November.
“As they stood in front of the scanner, (an Alpharetta officer) was holding onto (Bennett’s) arms,” the lawsuit said. “Before (Bennett) had an opportunity to cooperate, Clark placed his hands around (her) neck and began to strangle her. As he did so, Clark told (Bennett): ‘I choke folk. I advise you to cooperate. Hold your face before you lose your breath. The choice is yours.’”
Attorney Suri Chadha Jimenez, who represents Bennet on her criminal charges, said they can’t comment on the specifics of Clark’s case because ongoing litigation but said it “is refreshing” to see the Justice Department’s civil rights division “holding accountable those that abuse their power and violate people’s rights.”
The case was investigated and prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
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