FORMER POLK COUNTY JAIL SERGEANT SENTENCED
October 15, 2009
ROME, GA-JOSHUA DAVID LOWE,25,of Aragon,Georgia,a former sergeant at the Polk County Jail,was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert L. Vining, Jr., on civil rights charges of using excessive force against an inmate in his custody.
Acting United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said,“This defendant was entrusted with protecting the public’s safety but abused that trust by using his authority to violently assault an inmate.Law enforcement officers are charged with protecting, not violating, citizens’ civil rights.”
Gregory Jones, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta, said,“The FBI,in investigating such civil rights abuses involving law enforcement officials,is never a pleasant endeavor but does illustrate our commitment to ensuring that the federal civil rights laws protect everyone.Law enforcement personnel,as a whole,understand their responsibilities and duties and are very aware that such instances of excessive force erode public trust and only make their jobs more difficult.”
Polk County Sheriff Kelly McClendon said,“We regret that Lowe’s actions reflect negatively on Law Enforcement and Public Safety personnel;However,this should be a lesson for officers to remember that we are held to a higher standard. I feel that the judicial system has worked to its fullest potential in this case.As Sheriff, it is my duty to protect not only the citizens,but also the inmates housed at the Polk County Detention Facility and to assure that this type of misconduct will not be tolerated.”
LOWE was sentenced to 1 year,9 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.There is no parole in the federal system.LOWE pleaded guilty to the charges on August 8, 2009.
According to Acting United States Attorney Yates and the evidence presented in court:LOWE admitted that he abused his authority as a law enforcement officer on February 7,2009,when he unnecessarily and repeatedly struck an inmate in his head and face while the inmate was strapped in a restraint chair.LOWE agreed that his conduct resulted in bodily injury to the inmate and violated federal law and the constitutional right of the Polk County inmate not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law.
A number of LOWE’s fellow detention officers witnessed the incident and came forward to report LOWE’s conduct.One of the detention officers who witnessed the assault told federal authorities that he “saw blood everywhere” and that the inmate was “spewing blood” after he was attacked by LOWE.Another detention officer told an FBI agent that LOWE’s assault on the inmate was unjustified and “horrible.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Corey Steinberg and Brent Alan Gray prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact Sally Quillian Yates, Acting United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.
Comments (2)
Yes I remember when you first came on the scene
and told what LE people were saying about this place.
I saw what y’all were saying but I never put in words
as aptly as y’all.
Dear J,
It takes grandmas who refuse to take it anymore, and LE who refuse to look the other way when their own colleagues and friends and employees violate the public trust. It takes real estate agents who work as hard fighting meth trade as they do selling real estate, and outsiders who have purchased land inside the midst of the corruption, and who decide to speak out AND use their real name, articulating the issues.
It takes all of us doing, not just talking and gossiping, but doing - out in the open where we can challenge the bully, speaking out over and over and over and over again - calling a spade a spade - until the wheels of justice start moving, and justice becomes the standard, and the norm, not the illusive dream.
tw
TW injustice news on twitter the FBI is cracking down
on police all over America. I mean bu cour of police.
Dear JH -
Corrupt LE lead the feds to corrupt attorneys, judges and prosecutors involved in organized crime and ultimately in terrorism.
Did you read about my friend, Bob Meadows, under the current Feature Story? Excellent progress.
tw