Panel To Advise If Clayton County Sheriff Should Be Suspended

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed a panel to determine whether Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, shown in 2005, who is accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his custody, should be suspended pending the outcome of federal charges.

Gene Blythe / Associated Press file

Georgia’s governor on Wednesday appointed a panel to determine whether a sheriff accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his custody should be suspended pending the outcome of federal charges.

A federal grand jury last month indicted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill. The indictment accuses the sheriff of repeatedly ordering detainees to be put in a restraint chair for hours even though they posed no threat and had complied with deputies. The indictment alleges the restraint chairs were improperly used as punishment.

Hill has said the prosecution is politically motivated.