RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) — A former Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Dantavion Jones, 33, has pled guilty to federal civil rights charges after an assault on a detainee at the Charles D. Webster Detention Center.
Jones entered a guilty plea to Deprivation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Justice Southern District of Georgia. The charges stem from an incident on May 7, 2022, when Jones and other deputies responded to secure inmates involved in flooding at the jail.
Court documents reveal that Victim 1, a pretrial detainee, was handcuffed and lying face-down on the floor, offering no threat, when another deputy attempted to unlock the detainee’s handcuffs. Jones, who was present, removed the handcuffs and failed to intervene when another deputy repeatedly punched the detainee and placed him in a chokehold.
Two additional former sheriff’s staff members, Corporal Daniel D’Aversa, 52, and jailer Melissa Morello, 27, have also pled guilty in connection with the case.
As a result of his guilty plea, Jones faces up to 10 years in federal prison, substantial fines, restitution, and up to three years of supervised release after serving his sentence.
