Current:Home > ContactSouth Carolina sheriff who told deputy to shock inmate is found not guilty in civil rights case -Visionary Wealth Guides
South Carolina sheriff who told deputy to shock inmate is found not guilty in civil rights case
View
Date:2025-04-18 12:57:13
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — A jury has found a sheriff in South Carolina not guilty of violating a jail inmate’s civil rights when he ordered a deputy to shock the man several times with a Taser.
The federal jury deliberated for about an hour Monday before clearing Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon, media outlets reported.
Outside the courtroom, Lemon said he had faith he would be found not guilty.
“Thank the good Lord, thank the good Lord, I’m probably going to go to sleep thanking the good Lord,” Lemon said.
Lemon was suspended after his December 2021 arrest. He no longer faces any charges and can be reinstated. The Democrat’s term ends at the end of 2024 and he is not running for reelection.
In May 2020, Lemon ordered Deputy David Andrew Cook to use his Taser when it was directly touching the inmate and again after shooting the prongs into the victim, shocking him six times, because the man was refusing to go in his cell. This was twice as many jolts as officers are trained to use, prosecutors said.
Lemon was not trained to use a Taser and shouldn’t have directed the deputy to use it, authorities said.
Lemon testified in his own defense that he had known the inmate’s family for decades. The inmate, who suffered from mental health problems, was arrested after attacking his father with a baseball bat and his fists and throwing his Bible in the trash as he prepared to go to church, according to testimony.
Lemon said he never intended to violate the inmate’s civil rights. He said he had been called to help get the inmate into his cell because of his relationship with the inmate’s family.
The defense called an expert witness on force who testified that six shocks with a Taser was not excessive when dealing with someone who will not follow orders.
Ray Nash, a former sheriff in Dorchester County, testified that the inmate’s violence against his father likely led Lemon to think the Taser was the only option to subdue him.
The deputy who shocked the inmate on Lemon’s order pleaded guilty to a federal charge earlier this year and testified against the sheriff. He will be sentenced at a later date.
veryGood! (42718)
Related
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Soccer Star Alex Morgan Reveals She’s Pregnant With Baby No. 2 in Retirement Announcement
- Women lawmakers take the lead in shaping policy in Nebraska. Advocates hope other states follow.
- See Taylor Swift Return to Her WAG Era With Travis Kelce’s Parents at Kansas City Chiefs NFL Game
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Harvey Weinstein UK indecent assault case dropped over chance of conviction
- Billie Jean King moves closer to breaking another barrier and earning the Congressional Gold Medal
- Emergency crew trying to rescue man trapped in deep trench in Los Angeles
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Maine law thwarts impact of school choice decision, lawsuit says
Ranking
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Bachelor Nation's Maria Georgas Shares Cryptic Message Amid Jenn Tran, Devin Strader Breakup Drama
- The Deteriorating Environment Is a Public Concern, but Americans Misunderstand Their Contribution to the Problem
- Video game performers reach agreement with 80 video games on AI terms
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Linkin Park announces first tour since Chester Bennington's death with new female singer
- Emma Roberts on the 'joy' of reading with her son and the Joan Didion book she revisits
- Human remains believed to be hundreds of years old found on shores of Minnesota lake
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Caity Simmers, an 18-year-old surfing phenom, could pry record from all-time great
Why you should add sesame seeds to your diet
'I cried like a baby': Georgia town mourns after 4 killed in school shooting
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Taylor Swift hasn't endorsed Trump or Harris. Why do we care who she votes for?
An inspiration to inmates, country singer Jelly Roll performs at Oregon prison
'Joker 2' is 'startlingly dull' and Lady Gaga is 'drastically underused,' critics say