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 deputy from Camden County faced indictment on Thursday for breaching his duties as a law enforcement officer tied to a 2023 incident concerning 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 document of charges notes that Anderson used physical force against inmate Zyaire Ratliff on May 18, 2023. A 2023 inquiry by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation uncovered that Anderson repeatedly struck Ratliff with a closed fist.
He was apprehended by the GBI in 2023, with the official charges filed on Thursday. Anderson was dismissed following an internal probe conducted by the sheriff’s office in 2023.
In 2023, Ratliff, alongside fellow inmates, voiced concerns of widespread mistreatment within the Camden County jail, claiming to have witnessed no fewer than 30 instances of such abuse during his incarceration.
“When you enter through those doors, their rules prevail, and that’s the reality,” Ratliff remarked at the time. “Failing to comply with their demands could lead to these kinds of situations.”
Other Camden County deputies charged for use of force
The indictment against Anderson coincides with the recent indictment of a current Camden County sergeant by a federal grand jury, accused of exerting excessive force and fabricating records to legitimize his conduct. The 13-count indictment charges CCSO Sgt. Buck Aldridge, 42, with infringing rights under the guise of law and falsifying documents, as stated by 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.”
