ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia governor Brian Kemp has appointed a panel to determine whether a sheriff accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his custody should be suspended pending the outcome of federal charges.
A federal grand jury last month indicted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill.
The indictment accuses the sheriff of repeatedly ordering detainees to be put in a restraint chair for hours even though they posed no threat and had complied with deputies.
In an executive order Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Attorney General Chris Carr, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams and Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds to the panel.
Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams
Photo Credit: Burke County Sheriff's Office Website
The executive order requires the three men to write a report and submit a recommendation within 14 days on whether the sheriff should be suspended.
The law also calls for the official to be immediately reinstated if the case is resolved without a conviction or if the conviction is overturned. While the official is suspended, a replacement is to be filled either through local statute or by appointment from the governor.
Hill has said the prosecution is politically motivated.