A Douglas County Commissioner has also launched an investigation into how two juvenile suspects were left locked in a courthouse holding cell unattended over the weekend.
Sheriff Phil Miller said the department’s internal affairs division is already looking into the situation and said an investigation is not the Board of Commissioners’ responsibility.
The teens, ages 16 and 17, were locked in a cell with no food or lights, furnished only with benches and a window on the door facing into the building’s basement. They did have access to a bathroom and water via a sink in the cell, but no toilet paper.
Douglas County Commissioner Kelly Robinson called for an inquiry Wednesday.
“There are two parts. The first is what actually happened what is the institutional breakdown that occurred that two teen could be isolated over the weekend,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “(The second is) the Board of Commissioners was not made aware of this at all.”
Robinson said the Board found out about the incident via media broadcasts Tuesday evening.
“What else is being concealed here? That is the check and balance of the Board of Commissioners,” he said. “If there is any liability through an action I need to be made aware of this.”
He cited the lack of oversight on the part of the sheriff’s department, noting the blame does not fall on the shoulders of an individual but on teams of people and supervisors.
Such an incident, Robinson said, would be a problem in any circumstance, but especially considering their juvenile status.
Miller, who as sheriff accepts full responsibility, said he does not believe it is an issue to be handled by the Board, rather a situation that must be dealt with in the sheriff’s office internally.
“I have a great deal of respect for all the county commissioners,” the sheriff said, “however this is a law enforcement issue and will be handled by the sheriff.”
Notifying the Board, he said, is not his office’s responsibility.
“If any of the commissioners have any ideas as to how I should handle this they are welcome to contact me,” Miller said. “I would rather they contact me in person than emailing a newspaper.”
The teens had court appearances on Friday, one for a probation violation and one on a vehicle theft charge, after which they were supposed to be taken back to a detention center.
When they were discovered Monday morning the sheriff said they were immediately fed and attended to. Robinson said they are now at home.
The sheriff said the families have been “more reasonable than maybe I would have been,” noting that the situation could have been more severe had one of the teens had a medical condition that was not attended to.
“The Douglas County sheriff’s office dropped the ball,” he said. “We are addressing that situation, the Internal Affairs division is investigation and seeing who didn’t do their job and we are going to deal with that accordingly.”
About the Author
