CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Camden County Sheriff's Office is looking the incident involving an inmate who is seen on camera getting pummeled by correctional officers. Investigators are expected to review every detail in the videos. It is expected they will question the people who are seen in the videos and those who were not in it, but were at the jail when the incident occurred.
Civil rights attorneys released more video to the public, Thursday. This time, the video is nearly 40 minutes and it showcases what happened 14 before the beating and what happened after.
41-year-old Jarrett Hobbs can be seen in his cell. Based on the video that was provided, it's 14 minutes before a group of officers show up on September 3. The video shows Hobbs pacing around his cell, sitting down and occasionally standing at the door. Attorneys said Hobbs was having a psychological episode and banged on the door. In a separate video that was provided by the attorneys, one can hear a loud bang as one officer was walking away while another inmate was in the area. After the loud noise, an officer turns around to Hobbs' cell and more officers follow behind. That lead to the moment showing prison officers trying to restrain Hobbs, but they start punching him.
Eventually, they move outside of his cell while the beating continues. Hobbs can be heard screaming in pain in the video with audio attached. One correctional officer can heard telling him to "stop resisting." Later on, they were able to put Hobbs in a restraining chair. Video shows he was pushed repeatedly into his bed and then the door closes behind him. Afterwards, the 41-year-old is seen tugging at his restraints. This happened 10 weeks before Sheriff Jim Proctor called for an internal investigation. First Coast News reached out to former JSO detective, Kim Varner, about internal investigations. Varner has nearly 30 years of experience with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He said every detail counts in these type of investigations.
"They're going to count each time that they hit him," Varner explained. "They'll be able to tell you at the end of that investigation that he was struck a total of three-four time, however many times he was hit."
Varner said every officer that was involved and inside the county jail would be interviewed. "Even if you didn't lay your hands on him," he said. If a employee was working that day, investigators will want to talk to them. Varner said internal affairs would likely look into the correctional officer's history and check for any red flags. The investigation could take weeks or months.
Hobbs was initially arrested for: speeding, driving with a suspended/revoked license and possessing a controlled substance. Attorneys said he suffered a chipped tooth, swelling and one of his locs was ripped from his head. After the beating, they said he was put in confinement for two more weeks. Harry Daniels, who is representing Hobbs, said his client is struggling mentally since the incident. Civil rights attorneys also mentioned that Hobbs was charged with assault after what happened, but it was dropped. Hobbs is back currently back home in North Carolina.