Sheriff releases video of deputies beating an inmate at Augusta jail

Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree held a press conference Wednesday morning after finding video of two deputies punching and dragging an 18-year-old inmate at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.

The inmate, identified Wednesday as Alvin Yarbary Jr., 18, of Augusta, filed an officer grievance and made the report of unnecessary force against the deputies on Friday, according to officials. When the detention center's Intelligence Division investigated the complaint, it found video of the assault, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The video shows two deputies, identified by the agency as Gerardo Sanchez Jr., 28, and Joshua Mack Jackson, 21, carrying Yarbary across a cell block. Without being physically provoked, the deputies stopped in the middle of the room to strike Yarbary multiple times on the ground. They then dragged him across the floor, put him into a room, closed the door, and walked away.

"Here at the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, we feel that no one is above the law," Roundtree said. "While we take no pride in locking up one of our own, we will not hesitate to do so if the situation warrants it."

Sanchez and Jackson were both fired, arrested Tuesday and charged with simple battery and violation of oath of office. The sheriff said Yarbary only received superficial injuries from the incident and did not require medical attention.

Roundtree did not clarify who deemed Yarbary did not need medical attention.

The age and residence on the report is correct, only the last name was misspelled.

Yarbary was arrested in February 2022 and is charged with reckless conduct, four counts of armed robbery and two counts of felony interference with government property, according to the sheriff's office.

The two deputies charged in the incident were newly employed by the sheriff's office, according to Georgia P.O.S.T. records. They also did not have any law enforcement experience prior to starting with the sheriff's office.

Jackson began working for the sheriff's office on April 2, 2022, and only received a total of 24 hours of training, according to P.O.S.T. records.

Those classes included network operator training, security awareness training, jail orientation, stun gun training, physical fitness and fundamentals of shooting, according to records.