GBI probes teenager's claim of police brutality
A Waynesboro teen says he was brutally attacked by a veteran deputy, but officers say the claim is unfounded.
By Elizabeth Billips Associate Editor

The GBI is investigating a Waynesboro teenager's claim that a Burke County deputy used unnecessary and excessive force when he struck him with a baton.

"It's not a question of whether he was hit," said Gary Nicholson, Special Agent in charge of the Thomson GBI office. "The bottom line is whether or not the force used was necessary."

The teen's allegations are primarily aimed at Sgt. BJ Jones, a 24-year veteran of the Burke County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) who confronted him on Jan. 20 in the Club Paradise parking lot.

According to a report filed by a fellow deputy, officers were dispatched to the Bates Road club just after 10 p.m. when the owner reported gunfire and fighting.

While clearing the parking lot, Sgt. Jones approached an SUV occupied by William Bennett and his nephew Tyheem Spencer, both 18, and asked them to leave.

According to the deputy's account, the teens repeatedly yelled "(expletive) the police" and re- fused to cooperate.

When Sgt. Jones reached into the car to remove Bennett, he was hit on the head by an unknown person, the report said.

Sgt. Jones then struck the teenager in the leg with his baton but was unable to remove him from the vehicle.

Bennett reportedly sped out of the parking lot, slinging gravel at the officers. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested at Burke Medical Center where he went for treatment. Both he and Spencer are charged with disorderly conduct.

Although Agent Nicholson would not openly discuss the teens' claims, both of them talked to a reporter from News Channel 26 in Augusta two days after the alleged assault.

"They just jumped on me," Bennett told the reporter, claiming that several deputies had beaten him up. He pulled up his pants leg to show a bandage and said there were bruises "up and down" his legs.

Spencer told the reporter he watched the assault from the backseat and was hit in the hand when he attempted to cover his uncle's face.

BCSO Chief Deputy James Hollingsworth said he didn't know about the allegations until he was contacted by the news station.

"The parents called the TV station before they called us," he said.

Hollingsworth confirmed that Sgt. Jones struck Bennett but said he did so only after being assaulted himself.

"These boys were fighting in the parking lot of a bar, and they put their hands on a deputy," he said, noting that the incident took place on the heels of two deputies being shot to death in Atlanta. "Sgt. Jones followed his training to the letter."

Special Agent Nicholson said his agency is looking into the allegations at the request of the sheriff's office. "Resisting arrest is the only justification for that level of force, so that's the focus of our investigation," he explained.

Nicholson said his agency's findings will be forwarded to the district attorney who will ultimately decide if the force used was necessary.