Coweta County Sheriff Mike Yeager offered a vigorous defense Monday of two of his deputies involved in a highly publicized altercation involving Tasers last November — captured on video — that led to a Destin man's death.
“He’s not the victim. He’s the perpetrator. This person died as a result of his own actions,” said Yeager, who went on to praise deputies Samuel Smith and Joshua Sepanski as “level-headed.”
But while Sepanski has no previous disciplinary actions to speak of, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned Smith was forced to resign from the Peachtree City Police Department, where he had worked for 23 years.
Police body camera footage of the incident was released on Friday, leading many to question the deputies' behavior during the deadly fracas with Chase Sherman and afterward, when one exchanged a high-five with another law enforcement officer.
Sherman, 32, was killed by a combination of compression of his torso and Taser use, according to his death certificate. Attorney Chris Stewart said deputies tased Sherman 15 times, and video of the incident reveals electric shocks were administered even after Sherman appeared to have given up, telling them, “I’m dead,” just before he stops breathing.
His mother, Mary Ann Sherman, had called 911 from an SUV the family had rented after canceling their flight home to Florida because of their son’s erratic behavior. Chase Sherman told his parents and fiancee, Patti Galloway, that he had taken Spice, a synthetic drug that can cause psychotic episodes, paranoia and hallucinations.
A Coweta County Sheriff’s Office internal investigation, a copy of which was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, concluded “all policy was followed.”
Both deputies remain on duty even as an external probe by the GBI and Coweta Circuit District Attorney Pete Skandalakis continues.
Smith, however, is currently on probation by the Georgia Police Officer Standards and Training Council, though he is cleared for training and employment.
Deputy’s Lengthy Disciplinary History
According to personnel records reviewed by The AJC, Smith, while still in Peachtree City, was suspended 30 days and demoted from sergeant to corporal for violating the department’s policies regarding emergency vehicle operations and reckless driving. It resulted in a “last chance agreement” notifying him that any further disciplinary action would lead to his termination.
Smith had been cited numerous times before for reckless driving and excessive speed. His disciplinary history included several other reprimands and suspensions for everything from failing to attend mandatory training to insubordination to poor decision making, personnel records show.
Still, Yeager defended the deputy, saying he has received no complaints about Smith since he joined the Coweta force in January 2015.
“This was a violent altercation,” he said. “They had every right to fear for their safety.”
Sheriff Questions Parents’ Actions
Mary Ann Sherman’s call to 911, made from the shoulder of I-85 in Palmetto, led the officers to believe Chase’s family was in danger. She told the operator her son was “freaking out” and on “some kind of drug.”
Yeager questioned why the parents didn’t seek medical attention for Chase while still at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where, according to the Coweta sheriff’s report, they had sought help from Atlanta police after Chase resisted getting into the rental car. The report states Chase was wrestled to the ground after he grabbed the ear piece from one of the officers, who eventually helped get him into the rented SUV.
The video released Friday shows Chase tussling with the Coweta deputies for a little more than a minute. At one point, according to Yeager, Sherman gained control of a Taser, though neither of the officers were shocked. Even after he was handcuffed he continued to resist the officers, who eventually called on an EMT to help subdue Sherman. The weight of the EMT's body led to the torso being crushed, the death certificate states.
“They were looking for all the help they could get,” the sheriff said.
Mishandled From The Beginning?
As for the controversial “high-five” exchanged after Chase’s death, Yeager said it, like many other aspects of this case, has been misconstrued. It was initiated, he said, by a Georgia State Patrol officer on the scene and was in no way celebrating the loss of a life.
“It was more like, ‘Hey, glad you’re OK,” Yeager said.
Stewart, the Shermans’ attorney, insists the incident was mishandled from the beginning. The ensuing investigations by the Coweta sheriff and the GBI were also bungled, he said.
“They made the mistake of documenting lies,” Stewart said, noting that the deputies told their superiors they had only deployed their Tasers five times. Yeager defended their account, saying that’s how many times they actually made contact with Sherman’s body.
On Friday the GBI announced it was re-opening the November 2015 case after being alerted by an AJC reporter that the Shermans — the only witnesses to Chase’s death — had not been interviewed by the agency.
Skandalakis, the district attorney, would not comment on whether he had noticed that the GBI file lacked an interview with the Shermans. He received the file in February.
“I know people want a split-second decision but these things take time,” he said Monday. “We’re not going to rush this.”
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