Authorities have arrested a Fulton County jailer and charged him with multiple counts of aggravated assault and cruelty to an inmate.
Detention officer Demarcus Whatley, 25, has also been charged with violating his oath of office and reckless conduct. Hired just four months ago, Whatley has been fired and is being held without bond in the jail where he once worked.
His charges stem from an incident last Sunday. Video footage, according to Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat’s office, shows Whatley using excessive force while interacting with three inmates and then failing to accurately report what happened.
“Detention officers have the responsibility of treating those in their custody humanely and with respect,” Labat said in a statement Friday. “When an officer deviates from this duty, they must be held accountable.”
Whatley’s mother, Dorothy, said she does not believe the charges against her son are true.
“He is a good guy,” she said. “He is very spiritual. He loves the Lord.”
Labat’s announcement follows the arrests of five Clayton County jail employees and contractors in recent weeks in what Sheriff Levon Allen has called “Operation Clean House.” Allen alleges they were involved in stealing from inmates, giving them contraband and planning an attack on one of them.
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