I-TEAM: A closer look at who’s policing the police in Richmond County

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An all-new I-TEAM investigation takes a more in-depth take a look at who’s conserving watch over those that defend and serve.

It began when the I-TEAM obtained a cellphone video of an incident from November off Glenn Hills Drive in Augusta. We even have the incident report from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace.

On the cellphone recording, you may hear Richmond County deputies suggest they didn’t have a warrant to enter the house they wished to look.

Keishaun Younger: “Do you have got a warrant to return right here?”

Sgt. Megan Inman: “We’re within the technique of making use of – we’re gonna apply for one.”

The video reveals deputies barging in any manner with a gun drawn. In a second like that, the police have all the facility. So, what are your rights once you suppose your rights have been violated? It’s a query nonetheless echoing all through the nation after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Based on the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures, lawmakers everywhere in the nation have thought-about greater than 4,500 items of laws tied to policing following George Floyd’s dying in Might 2020 to Might 2022. Over the past 12 months, 16 states handed legal guidelines associated to police oversight.

Neither Georgia nor South Carolina are on that record.

When the I-TEAM began investigating a grievance about Richmond County deputies, we discovered what some would possibly name, a serious battle of curiosity. That’s as a result of when you’ve got a grievance concerning the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace, we discovered you are taking that grievance to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace the place the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace then investigates itself.

“Quickly as she put her foot in that door, that’s after I started recording,” mentioned Keishaun Younger.

The I-TEAM sat down together with her and her household not lengthy after the evening Richmond County deputies pushed their manner into the house her son shares together with his fiancée and younger son. Keishaun says she was staying the evening and had been asleep on the sofa when deputies first knocked on the door. You may as well hear her narrating as she’s recording: “I advised her she would not have no paperwork. She don’t haven’t any warrant.”

Keishaun Younger tells the I-TEAM she was asking Richmond County Deputies questions she says she’s all the time been taught to ask. Right here is a part of the trade on the cellphone video:

Keishaun Younger: “4 o’clock within the morning. Do you have got a warrant to return right here, ma’am? Do you have got a warrant to return right here? Sure or no?”

Sgt. Inman: “We’re within the technique of making use of – we’re gonna apply for one.”

That response was sufficient for Keishaun to imagine deputies did, in actual fact, want a warrant that evening. With either side clearly annoyed, Keishaun says she determined it was most secure to attend till deputies had that piece of paper, so she didn’t open the door. Deputies opened it for her. She continues to be rolling as a number of deputies push their manner inside. You possibly can hear Keishaun yelling they don’t have a warrant.

Deputies had a gun pointed at Keishaun’s son.

Lyndale Wilson Jr. Believes he’s fortunate to be alive.

“If I might’ve been strolling down my hallway somewhat sooner, I might have been shot in chilly blood,” he mentioned. “Proper in entrance of my son peeking out that door.”

Lyndale says that’s the reason he sat down in that hallway.

He says he didn’t need deputies to enter his son’s room. His son was 4 years outdated. It was his birthday. Video from the incident reveals balloons within the nook of the home.

Keishaun stored recording, whilst she says deputies knock her to the bottom.

“You’re not going to take this telephone in my hand. Not gonna do this,” she advised the I-TEAM. “After which after they received me down on the bottom, she mentioned, ‘sit on her.’ And I checked out her, and I mentioned, ‘What?! You going to George Floyd me now?’”

In the meantime, she’s anxious about her son who, on the time, she believed was being arrested.

“Why did you need to drag me out of my home with out no footwear on? No shirt? And take me downtown?”

Lyndale tells the I-TEAM deputies handcuffed him and put him behind a patrol automotive.

“Like a legal,” Lyndale mentioned. “Like I’ve dedicated against the law. Like I’ve dedicated against the law.”

Lyndale had not dedicated any crime. Based on the incident report, he was the sufferer on this case. That’s proper. He’s listed because the sufferer.

So why did Richmond County deputies barge into his home in the course of the evening and take him away in handcuffs? That’s a superb query.

It’s one we wished to ask Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree, however he’s refusing to sit down down with the I-TEAM for an interview about this.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace additionally declined to reply any questions on this cellphone video or this case, citing an open investigation. So, paperwork should communicate for them.

Based on this incident report, deputies thought Lyndale Wilson may be chargeable for a stabbing. With this sort of response, you would possibly suppose it was a homicide or that Lyndale had a prolonged arrest report, however the I-TEAM discovered neither IN the case. The report reveals the stab wound solely required three stitches, and when the I-TEAM checked, we discovered Lyndale has no arrest report in Richmond County.

What we did discover was an arrest report for the person who was stabbed. He ended up being the suspect on this case, despite the fact that he pointed the finger at Lyndale.

The report notes he wasn’t very cooperative. It notes nobody was very cooperative, however finally, these reluctant to assist deputies advised investigators they had been anxious Lyndale was being violent together with his fiancée, Jasmine. Once they arrived at Lyndale and Jasmine’s dwelling, the report notes there seemed to be blood on the bottom outdoors, in order that they knocked on the door.

You possibly can hear deputies ask about Jasmine on the cellphone video: Keishaun Younger: “They only woke us up out of our sleep.”

Deputy: “Okay. Effectively, There was a stabbing over right here earlier.”

Keishaun Younger: “There wasn’t no stabbing over right here.”

Deputy: “Alright. Jasmine, are you able to come out?”

Keishaun Younger: “Jas, you need to exit that door – why is you bought your ft within the door, ma’am. May you inform me?”

Deputy: “It’s for our security.”

Keishaun Younger: “No – No!”

Deputy: “As a result of we don’t know what’s occurring behind that door!”

Keishaun Younger: “Nothing. Y’all simply woke us up!”

Jasmine Leverett tells the I-TEAM she had been consuming and wasn’t totally dressed however got here to the door a number of occasions.

“I got here proper again after I put some garments on and advised them once more that I used to be okay,” she mentioned.

however within the weeks and now months since this occurred, Jasmine says she is just not okay.

“Scared to go outdoors, depressed, you recognize, I’m scared to drive to work, you recognize, afraid of the police on the highway,” she mentioned. “I’m simply afraid, you recognize, I don’t know what to do. You already know, I gotta get counseling.”

On December 6, 2022, Jasmine Leverett filed an official grievance with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace, repeating lots of the considerations heard on the cellphone video like deputies not producing a warrant when requested and forcing entry.

The household shared the letter with the I-TEAM the place RCSO discovered Jasmine’s grievance was “unfounded.” The letter reads, partly, “After a radical overview, all the above RCSO staff’ actions didn’t violate coverage or legislation.”

The letter is dated Dec. 7, simply in the future after Jasmine filed her grievance. Meaning it took the sheriff’s workplace in the future to analyze itself and determine its personal staff did nothing improper. Deputies say they reviewed physique cameras, however the household says they had been by no means questioned.

“Oh, I used to be appalled,” mentioned Manuel Gomez. He’s a non-public investigator in New York now working with the household.

“I received a greater probability to win the lotto than them getting a warrant at 4 o’clock within the morning.”

He’s serving to the household attain out to the ACLU and the NAACP.

“These folks have nowhere to show. They need to go to the identical police division that violated them to verify themselves. That’s madness.”

The I-TEAM despatched an open information request to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace for complaints concerning the deputies concerned on this incident. We didn’t obtain a replica of the grievance Jasmine Leverett filed as a part of our request. As a substitute, we obtained copies of two complaints in opposition to Sgt. Megan Inman, the deputy on the door and the one who pointed her gun at Lyndale.

Each had been “unsubstantiated.”

One accused her of racial profiling, and the opposite known as her “impolite.” The Sheriff’s Workplace cleared her of any wrongdoing in each.

“They need to verify themselves, monitor themselves, examine themselves and choose themselves. That’s not possible,” added Gomez.

It may additionally create mistrust in the neighborhood.

It’s why some locations like Atlanta and most just lately, Athens-Clarke County, have impartial boards with the facility to analyze. Based on the Nationwide Affiliation for Civilian Oversight of Regulation Enforcement, civilian oversight boards want extra entry to information legislation enforcement businesses to withhold from the general public.

The non-profit says state and native lawmakers “can and may” cross legal guidelines allowing localities to determine civilian oversight our bodies – with subpoena energy.

Proper now, greater than 160 communities have legal guidelines that tackle legislation enforcement oversight. Since George Floyd’s dying, a further 80 cities have reached out to NACOLE about bringing oversight to their group.

As for our group, in accordance with its personal web site, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace “is the biggest full-service sheriff’s workplace in Georgia.” That’s the very purpose Gomez tells the I-TEAM he believes “Richmond County is the poster youngster for a citizen overview board.”

On the very least, citizen oversight would possibly assist restore a few of the belief misplaced that evening Keishaun Younger answered the door.

“They might do no matter they need to do to me, however I don’t received no rights? These rights don’t apply to me,” Keishaun mentioned. “Do they apply to me?”

Keishaun says deputies searched the house a number of occasions and located nothing.

Once more, nobody was arrested, and the household says nobody ever apologized. That evening, that household was harmless, however deputies didn’t know that on the time.

There have been two sides to the door that evening similar to there are two sides to each door each time legislation enforcement officers reply to a name.

Some consultants say impartial oversight can even defend officers. A current research discovered communities with civilian overview boards, with broad authority, have seen a discount in violent crime in addition to the variety of officers killed.

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