Fulton's former chief jailer speaks out on being fired

In just 12 months, Fulton County has had three chief jailers and now the sheriff is looking for a fourth one.

On Sunday, Fulton Sheriff Ted Jackson fired chief jailer Charles Felton and assistant chief jailer Willie Hood.

Jackson declined to give his reasons for firing Felton and Hood, saying only that the change was “necessary and it will be a positive move to keep the Fulton County jail moving in the right direction."

Felton, however, said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that he was fired because Jackson wanted to replace him with the chief at the Atlanta City Jail, which could be transferred to Fulton’s control in early 2010.

Felton said Jackson also said he had “disrespected” the expert monitoring the jail’s efforts to comply with a federal consent order. The order, put in place in 2006, governs population limits and minimum staffing levels and requires a $60 million renovation, which is nearing completion.

“There are a lot of things going on there,” Felton said. “The first thing is the monitor. ... The monitor wants to micromanage the jail. And the sheriff said I disrespected him the last time he was there.”

The court monitor, Calvin Lightfoot, said he was surprised that Felton had been fired and confused by Felton’s claim.

“I was just as surprised as you were,” Lightfoot said about Felton’s and Hood’s firings.

“I’m sorry he said that,” Lightfoot said when asked about Felton’s claim that the monitor tried to run the jail. “He never gave me that indication. He never made me feel I was unwelcome.”

Lt. Col. Jimmy Carter, a former FBI agent, is the acting chief jailer; he was joined the sheriff's office in late July to supervise court security.

A year ago, Edward McNeil was in the position but left at the end of former Sheriff Myron Freeman’s term on Dec. 31. Jackson, retired from the FBI when he was elected, put Riley Taylor in the position beginning Jan. 1. Taylor left in late July because he risked damaging his county retirement if he stayed in the position.

Felton, who had been in the job under Freeman, came back.

Felton, who had worked in jails or prisons for 35 years, said Jackson notified him that he had been fired in a call to his cell phone. Felton said he was driving home from church.

Felton said Jackson complained that some areas of the jail were dirty, including the seventh floor that is still under renovation, that Felton had “disrespected” the monitor by not acknowledging him during a class, and that he had not fired Hood as the sheriff had asked.

“He has been after me to fire the assistant [jailer] for a while and I didn’t see any reason to,” Felton said. “I guess somebody didn’t like him [Hood]. There are a lot of personnel issues.”

Hood did not respond to messages left on his cell phone voicemail.

Lightfoot said he recalled slipping into a class Felton was leading, but he said he did not feel slighted when the then-chief jailer continued with his instruction and did not break to acknowledge him.