A former Fulton County, Georgia, jail deputy faces federal charges after allegedly strangling a detainee at a facility that was the subject of a Justice Department investigation in July after 10 people died there since the beginning of the year.
The Justice Department said Monique Clark, 32, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury for using excessive force against a pretrial detainee.
“We recognize that detention officers have a particularly challenging job as they work to maintain order and protect detainees in our district’s jails and prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “However, this detention officer allegedly abused a handcuffed Fulton County detainee by choking her and must be held accountable for such outrageous conduct.”
According to the charges, Clark was employed as a detention center officer at the Fulton County Jail at the time of the alleged incident.
On June 5, Clark was working at the North Jail Annex in Alpharetta, Georgia, when he strangled a woman who was detained, without any legal justification, the Justice Department said.
The alleged incident caused the woman to lose consciousness and suffer bodily injuries.
Clark has been fired since the incident occurred and charged with one count of aggravated assault, violation of oath by a public official and reckless conduct by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, for which he worked since 2016.
“While those behind bars may have lost their freedom, they retain their humanity and their civil rights,” said Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of the FBI in Atlanta. “This case serves as an example that the FBI is committed to identifying and investigating those law enforcement officers who choose to abandon their oath of office and violate the civil rights of the public.”
The investigation into the matter is ongoing and Clark is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
