Former Richmond County deputy pleads guilty to allowing assault on jail detainee

RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. - A former deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from an assault on a jail detainee at the Charles D. Webster Detention Center.

Dantavion Jones, 33, admitted guilt to one felony count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charge relates to a May 7, 2022, incident in which Jones, along with other deputies, responded to flooding caused by inmates in a section of the jail.

Court documents revealed that Jones deliberately removed the handcuffs of a compliant inmate, allowing another officer to punch the detainee. Jones admitted to failing to intervene or stop the assault, despite the detainee posing no threat at the time.

Two other former deputies, Daniel D’Aversa and Melissa Morello, had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the same incident.

Jones now faces up to 10 years in prison, significant fines, restitution, and up to three years of supervised release following his sentence. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office is leading the investigation, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III of the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Anita T. Channapati of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office announced the guilty plea.