BROOKS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE #jailshowertreatment
Terry Griffin is still employed at the BROOKS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE in 2024
Case – CRUELTY TO INMATES 5/30/2016 GBI case 09-0037-34-17
BCSO Website https://www.brookssheriff.com
On Monday, September 19, 2016, at approximately 1:05 p.m., GBI SA JASON
SEACRIST was located at the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office CID Annex, 1004 Holloway Drive, Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, for the purpose of interviewing Brooks County Sheriff’s Office SGT. TERRY GRIFFIN, the father of former Brooks County JAIL SGT. RINA GRIFFIN, in regards to the present investigation
It should be noted this is a general synopsis of the interview with SGT. GRIFFIN. For a detailed account of the interview in its entirety, review to the recording associated with the summary
Prior to the interview, SA SEACRIST advised SGT. GRIFFIN that the investigation was criminal in nature and was not an administrative or disciplinary inquiry. SA SEACRIST also advised SGT. GRIFFIN that his cooperation in the investigation was voluntary. SGT. GRIFFIN confirmed that no one at the Brooks County Sherriff’s Office had told him that he was required to participate in the interview as a function of his job. SGT. GRIFFIN further advised he was willing to provide a voluntary statement. SGT. GRIFFIN essentially stated the following:
SGT. GRIFFIN had worked for the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office for approximately five years. SGT. GRIFFIN currently worked in the narcotics investigation division. Prior to that, SGT. GRIFFIN had been a LT. on road patrol. During his entire time at Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, he was also a canine officer. Prior to the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, SGT. GRIFFIN worked at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office for approximately 20 years.
SGT. GRIFFIN’S daughter, RINA, had called him one day and told him about being a witness regarding an inmate being put in a restraint chair and then placed in the shower with the water turned on for approximately 20 minutes. RINA told SGT. GRIFFIN that Brooks County Jail CAPTAIN SCOTT BOUTWELL said “this is how you cool them off”. RINA had called SGT. GRIFFIN for advice and SGT. GRIFFIN advised RINA to “keep her mouth shut” and to “put it in her book”. SGT. GRIFFIN was referring to a personal journal that RINA kept for documentation purposes. SGT. GRIFFIN also told his supervisor, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office CAPTAIN JERRY MILLER. (Interview in this series) This was done for the purpose of “covering them” should this come back up. SGT. GRIFFIN noted that CAPTAIN BOUTWELL ran the jail like a “bully”. SGT. GRIFFIN was concerned of repercussions that RINA would face from CAPTAIN BOUTWELL if she were to report the incident.
#jailshowertreatment
SGT. GRIFFIN recalled that RINA had been hurt while fighting with an inmate in the jail. RINA’S doctor had put her on light duty. When RINA provided a light duty note to CAPTAIN BOUTWELL, he laughed and said “you don’t do any of this stuff anyway”. 🤣🤣 SGT. GRIFFIN was aware that another jail officer had been put on light duty and CAPTAIN BOUTWELL had moved the jail officer into a pod control room to accommodate the light duty status. RINA also told SGT. GRIFFIN about the incident that occurred on the day RINA received her injury which finally moved her out of the jail. Morven Police Department OFFICER TJ FRYE had arrested someone and brought them to the jail. Once at the jail, the arrestee continued to fight with jail staff, which was when RINA got hurt. Once the person was under control, RINA had stepped away to regain her composure due to the injury. When RINA returned, two other jail staff members had put the inmate in the shower. When RINA asked what they were doing, the jail officers commented that this was how CAPTAIN BOUTWELL told them to do it. RINA told SGT. GRIFFIN about this incident the same day while RINA was at the hospital for the injury she incurred.
SGT. GRIFFIN believed that CAPTAIN BOUTWELL was able to do whatever he wanted in the jail. SGT. GRIFFIN believed that the SHERIFF was unaware of a lot of things that were going on in the jail due to certain items not being reported through the chain of command. SGT. GRIFFIN had heard about another incident with another inmate with the last name of WASHINGTON. Allegedly, CAPTAIN BOUTWELL told another jail officer to close him in the cell with INMATE WASHINGTON and to not let him out until CAPTAIN BOUTWELL told him to. RINA may have been the source of this information and believed that “something” happened inside the cell between CAPTAIN BOUTWELL and INMATE WASHINGTON.
RINA had also told SGT. GRIFFIN about comments made by CAPTAIN BOUTWELL to RINA. These comments were related to CAPTAIN BOUTWELL’S nephew, who worked at the jail, having a sexual relationship with a female jail officer. SGT. GRIFFIN was also aware that CAPTAIN BOUTWELL may have known that his nephew was smoking marijuana while working at the jail. Allegedly, CAPTAIN BOUTWELL had made a comment to his nephew asking if he needed to “study a few days for his drug test”.
SGT. GRIFFIN believed it was common knowledge that his nephew smoked marijuana. SGT. GRIFFIN had remained in a good working relationship with CAPTAIN BOUTWELL through all of this, up until the time where RINA was injured. SGT. GRIFFIN was concerned about the repercussions that RINA might face should these incidents get reported. Whenever RINA would tell SGT. GRIFFIN about an incident, SGT. GRIFFIN would tell her to write it in her book. SGT. GRIFFIN would also tell CAPTAIN MILLER about the incident so that, should these incidents become public, they would have a defense.
On Wednesday, September 14, 2016, at approximately 12:15 p.m., Brooks County SHERIFF MIKE DEWEY requested the GBI to investigate an alleged excessive use of force incident involving Brooks County Jail CAPTAIN SCOTT BOUTWELL. The incident occurred on Thursday, September 8, 2016 at approximately 9:15 a.m. GBI SA JASON SEACRIST was assigned the case.
SA SEACRIST reviewed video surveillance footage of the incident which showed CAPTAIN BOUTWELL appearing to knee INMATE STEPHEN STYLES, who was laying on the floor with his hands handcuffed behind his back and at least two (2) other jail officers holding INMATE STYLES down. During the course of the investigation, two incidents involving CAPTAIN BOUTWELL ordering inmates to be strapped into a restraint chair and being placed in a shower with the water turned on were reported. A separate incident was reported where CAPTAIN BOUTWELL was not present, but the jail officers believed they were doing what CAPTAIN BOUTWELL had trained them to do by putting an inmate in the restraint chair, placing them in the shower and turning the water on. These reports were also investigated.
Timeline
September 8, 2016: Incident of alleged excessive force by Captain Scott Boutwell occurs at Brooks County Jail. Boutwell reportedly knees inmate Stephen Styles, who is handcuffed and held down by other officers.
September 14, 2016: Sheriff Mike Dewey requests the GBI to investigate the incident. GBI Special Agent Jason Seacrist is assigned to the case. Initial interviews and evidence review begin, including surveillance footage of the incident.
April 6, 2017: District Attorney Brad Shealy advises that due to conflicts within the DA’s office, the case will be handled by Alapaha Circuit DA Dick Perryman. The case is expected to be presented to the Grand Jury in October 2017.
October 3, 2017: ADA Patrick Warren, assigned to the case, states that the Grand Jury presentation is postponed due to a plea agreement with the defendants’ attorneys.
January 5, 2018: ADA Patrick Warren informs that victim Walter Eller had died in state prison, possibly from being stabbed. Negotiations for plea agreements with defendants continue.
April 10, 2018: Scott Boutwell pleads guilty to three counts of misdemeanor battery and is sentenced to probation. He surrenders his Georgia P.O.S.T. certification. Negotiations with other defendants are ongoing.
July 23, 2018: ADA Patrick Warren reports that all remaining defendants, except one, have agreed to plea deals.
October 15, 2018: ADA Warren dismisses the warrant against Rina Griffin, who agrees to cooperate in judicial proceedings. Scheduling for remaining defendants to accept their pleas is underway.
Video credits
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