A Georgia sheriff's deputy recruit was fired and arrested after beating up an inmate at a jail, Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens announced Monday.
Deputy Recruit Jacqun Brown, 25, was placed behind bars at the same jail where he worked just hours before his arrest. He was held without bond.
Brown was charged with battery and violation of his oath of office, according to the sheriff's office.
"We will not tolerate abuse of power," Owens said at a news conference. "We will uphold laws equally and fairly."
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On Saturday, Brown allegedly beat an inmate he was attempting to take to another part of the jail.
"The deputy [recruit] was moving the [detainee] in an attempt to de-escalate a situation inside the pod area," the sheriff said. "He was causing a disturbance. An exchange of words began, and the end result was the deputy attacking the inmate. It was a clear violation of all of our training and protocols in our policies."
Owens said Brown had just completed his training and was in a probationary period of employment at the jail and had not yet become a full-fledged deputy.
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The victim, who was in jail on drug trafficking charges, suffered "superficial injuries" and was taken to a hospital as a precaution, Owens said.
"We quickly reviewed the evidence… and decided to relieve the recruit immediately of his job," he said.
Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady Jr. praised the sheriff’s office for its swift action in terminating and arresting Brown.
"We will hold law enforcement accountable when they do wrong," Broady, Jr. said. "And, you see that in the action of the sheriff, the quickness."
Owens said video of the incident would be released in the coming days.
