– Thursday, April 4, 2024 –
Good morning. This week we’re reporting on federal prosecutors looking into a Camden County jail assault, a recently-passed bill intended to help Georgia’s first responders struggling with PTSD and an update on a long-running lawsuit by a former Savannah Police Department officer.
Questions, comments or story ideas? You can reach me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.
Camden jail beating investigation
Federal investigators have stepped into Camden County to examine whether three former deputies violated civil rights law in the jailhouse beating of Jarrett Hobbs in September 2022.
The previously unreported investigation comes amid a challenging re-election campaign for Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor, whose administration has weathered lawsuits, insurance claims and deputy indictments brought about since Hobbs’ case came to light.
Read more here about how The Current discovered the federal probe and details on the upcoming sheriff’s race.
First responder mental health
Last week, Georgia legislators passed a bill to provide mental healthcare to first responders traumatized by on-the-job experiences.
The bill passed last week — which notably includes 911 dispatchers and juvenile correctional officers in its definition of first responders — provides financial coverage for responders who develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a work experience.
Like with all things, the devil is in the details. Reading the text of the bill, The Current noticed the following:
- First responders are only eligible for the benefit if their “traumatic event” occurred on or after July 1, 2024.
- The benefit includes one lump sum payment of $3,000 “per lifetime” for each responder, after they provide proof to the insurer of a clinical diagnosis of PTSD.
- Responders who are put out of work from the condition can accept a monthly disability benefit to replace their income while they recover. The benefit ends if the responder’s clinician finds that they have regained the ability to do their job.
- If the responder is still unable to do their job, the income replacement continues. An employed first responder’s benefit maxes out after three years. The minimum benefit amount for each month would be $5,000 a month or 60% of a responder’s salary, “whichever is less.”
As the national conversation around mental health broadens, so too does our understanding of how first responders struggle after traumatic events. One study cited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stated that 30% of first responders will develop some kind of behavioral health conditions due to their work experiences.
Wrongful termination lawsuit stumbles
A three-year federal lawsuit brought by a former Savannah Police Department officer, who believed he was unjustly fired, suffered a major legal blow last week.
U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker dismissed the City of Savannah as a defendant in the case, clearing claims of its liability in upholding the firing of former SPD Officer Daniel Kang. In 2020, Kang was fired over an operation where he unlawfully detained the wrong person and subsequently threatened and cursed out the detained man.
In the lawsuit filed in April 2021, Kang said he was retaliated against by former Chief Roy Minter because Kang had signed on to a group human resources complaint against the chief. He also claimed his due process rights were violated and that he was racially discriminated against as an Asian man.
The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Kang’s firing had anything to do with factors outside of his conduct in the mistaken identity arrest and that Kang was afforded a substantive appeal process.
Minter is now the only defendant in the case. The dismissal of the City of Savannah means Kang cannot collect significant financial damages or reimbursement to cover attorney’s fees from the tax-rich city for his protracted legal case.
Federal prosecutors probe Camden County jail beating
The 2022 beating of Jarrett Hobbs by former Camden County jailers has become the focus of federal investigators, The Current learned. The beating was the first in a slew of incidents involving violence at the detention center and on the roads involving Camden deputies in the last two years .
Hinesville mobile home park residents fear for their future
But the drastic action came without much warning — or information — for those most directly impacted by the move: the people living in the Georgia Homes at Live Oak Mobile Home Park. They are the same kind of working families that the new development plans aim to help, but that the developer […]
$500K settlement in Camden County jail beating lawsuit
A federal lawsuit accusing the Camden County Sheriff’s Office of beating a man was settled for half-a-million dollars, sources say. It’s the latest financial repercussion due to claims against the agency, which forced the county to lose its insurance coverage this summer.
Legislature approves bill to help Georgia first responders with job-related PTSD
The Georgia House of Representatives passed the Ashley Wilson Act, intended to treat traumatized first responders, with a unanimous vote on March 28.
Female right whale dies; calf presumed dead
A North Atlantic right whale seen earlier this year off St. Simons with its newborn calf was found dead off Virginia on Saturday.
Glynn homes for homeless caught in bureaucratic slog
Despite four years of planning and $4 million in private donations spent on construction, the group’s 60 fully furnished homes remain vacant, an unfortunate illustration of how bureaucratic red tape can frustrate even the most determined advocates trying to solve the problem of homelessness in Glynn County.
Ex-Savannah Police officer alleges use-of-force indictment instigated by chief’s ‘personal bias’
Former Savannah Police Department Sgt. Octavio Arango argued that his excessive force indictment should be thrown out, because it was pushed by Chief Roy Minter. Arango and officer Daniel Kang have suggested Minter retaliated against them for signing onto a human resources complaint.
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