Ex-Georgia deputy sentenced for violent Camden County Jail assault

SAVANNAH, Ga. - A former sheriff’s deputy in Georgia has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for repeatedly punching a Black man during a violent jail cell assault caught on security video nearly three years ago.

What we know:

U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood handed down the sentence Thursday to 27-year-old Ryan Biegel, who had pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Jarrett Hobbs’ civil rights by using excessive force. Hobbs, of Greensboro, North Carolina, had been jailed in Camden County on Sept. 3, 2022, after being arrested for traffic violations and drug possession.

Surveillance footage from inside the Camden County jail showed Hobbs standing alone in his cell when five deputies entered and surrounded him. The video captured at least three of the officers striking Hobbs in the head and neck before dragging him from the cell and slamming him into a hallway wall.

Biegel and two other deputies involved in the incident — all of whom are white — were fired and arrested more than two months later. The delay came after one of Hobbs’ attorneys obtained the video and released it to the public.

While only Biegel has faced federal charges, all three former deputies are still facing state charges of battery and violating their oaths of office, according to Camden County Superior Court records.

Hobbs, initially charged with aggravated battery, simple assault, and obstruction following the jail incident, had all charges dismissed due to lack of evidence. The original traffic and drug charges that led to his arrest were also dropped.

Mason Garrick, Ryan Biegel, and Braxton Massey, are charged with battery of an inmate, and violating the oath of Office. (Camden County Sheriff's Office)

What they're saying:

Hobbs’ attorneys, Harry Daniels and Bakari Sellers, condemned the attack in a statement Friday.

"Let this sentence serve as some solace to everyone who has been terrorized by violence masquerading as law and order and a warning to their brutalizers," the statement read. "Your badge will not protect you any more than it protected Ryan Biegel."

Biegel’s defense attorney, Adrienne Browning, declined to comment on the sentencing.

New video with sound shows Black prisoner beaten by several deputies

Attorneys and civil rights activists held a news conference to discuss the now viral video that was taken inside a Camden County Detention Center. FOX 5 Atlanta is told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation.

What we don't know:

Camden County officials reached a cash settlement with Hobbs to avoid a civil lawsuit. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.