Slurs, prior arrests, saving lives: Liberty County deputies in bus search have mixed records
Editor's note: This article continues the USA Today Network's ongoing coverage of a controversial stop and search of a bus carrying Black student-athletes as they passed through Liberty County, Georgia along Interstate 95 in April. This story offers details into the backgrounds of the four deputies involved in the bus search and is based on records obtained from the Liberty County Sherriff's Office and other agencies through open records requests.
One deputy called a colleague a "black b---h" and was suspended. Another was reprimanded after intentionally hitting a suspect on a motorcycle with his patrol vehicle during a chase. A third was arrested prior to his employment with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.
The personnel records of Liberty County sheriff's deputies involved in the stop and search of a bus carrying Delaware State University lacrosse players in April show mixed histories. Some of the records includes commendations for their responses and community service, including saving someone's life using Narcan after they overdosed. But there are also disciplinary records ranging from serious offenses to failed training courses.
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The deputies involved in the stop and search of the bus mostly carrying student-athletes from the historically Black university are Harry Weyman Chapman Jr., Denis R. Abbgy, Joshua Tilley and Samuel Trae Davis, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. Though claiming a sheriff's K9 "alerted" to something on the bus, the deputies found no evidence of contraband following an extensive search.
Delaware State University has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, according to University Director of News Services Carlos Holmes, but taken no other legal actions.
"Any issues with racism, excessive force, or domestic violence with law enforcement are concerning," said Dr. Steven Newton, Delaware State spokesman. "We have confidence in the merits of our complaint, and that the Department of Justice will give this information due weight in examining the unconstitutional stop of our lacrosse team in Georgia."
The USA Today Network requested comment from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office multiple times over the course of a week, but were told that the office's spokesperson was away from the office and that no one else was able to answer press questions
"Why did he call me that?"
Chapman was hired in 2006 and has served the longest of any of the deputies involved in the bus search.
On April 16, 2011, Chapman was a deputy at the Liberty County jail when one of the inmates began waving a towel, apparently to get attention. Deputy Belinda McLendon called a sergeant over the radio and told him she had twice called to report the inmate, according to McLendon's colleague Sandra Sibert.
Written statements from the officers involved and provided to the USA Today Network tell the story from there.
"I said that's bulls--t that black b---h," Chapman wrote in his testimony, at which point Sibert asked him what he called McLendon.
"I said black b---h. She has not called down here twice," Chapman wrote.
Sibert says she responded, "Who are are you calling a black b---h? If you have something to say to officer McLendon then you tell her yourself," before hanging up. Sibert then told McLendon what happened.
"I said what, why did he call me that?" McLendon wrote in her statement.
About 10 minutes later, she said that Chapman came to see her and apologize.
"I asked him why did he call me a 'BLACK B---H?" McLendon wrote. "He said, he is sick and he just acted out. I stated to him that I am a 'BLACK WOMAN' not a BLACK B---H. I also said to him that's very unprofessional and disrespectful. Officer Chapman stated to me if I accept his (apology) FINE and if not it is still FINE."
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The testimonies of Sibert, Chapman, McLendon and two additional officers who overheard the remark are included and all largely match. Chapman was suspended for at least a week without pay, on probation for six months, and moved to a different shift, noted sheriff's office records. The records include written apologies, one addressed generally to his co-workers and one to McLendon.
"However, I realize there is no excuse for my choice of words, but I have been under a considerable amount of stress, both on and off the job," he wrote to McLendon. "Even though I should not have used the language at all, I assure you than an incident such as this will not ever happen again in the future."
A little more than a year later, Chapman received a positive review from his commander for his work from the past year and was recommended for a promotion from deputy to advanced deputy, noted records.
In Georgia, all law enforcement agents must be certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, and POST can discipline officers as well. POST investigates officers who are arrested, suspended for 30 days or more, dismissed or demoted for disciplinary issues, and some other issues. Chris Harvey, deputy executive director for POST, said that an incident like this would not come to POST's attention.
"Things like that are generally department discretion," he said of Chapman's comment. "That wouldn't even make it to our radar screen ... and I think you're just going to get different levels of (tolerance) of things like that from different departments."
Law enforcement agencies in Georgia have broad authority to set their own disciplinary procedures, according to Butch Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. The association provides voluntary certification to agencies that they comply with state standards. Law enforcement agencies are required to have a code of conduct for officers to receive certification, but does not dictate what such codes entail.
"The agencies have pretty good latitude in what they can do," Ayers said.
Later in his career, on March 19, 2020, Chapman was ordered to quarantine for 14 days after exposure to COVID while off duty. According to a disciplinary report, which Chapman signed off on, he broke quarantine on March 29 and was suspended for three days.
"Fleeing ... does not warrant deadly force"
Abbgy was first hired in March 2007, although at some point he left the sheriff's office and was re-hired in 2019 after working for the Georgia Port Authority for a few months, according to records.
Abbgy had several complimentary reports in his record. In July 2012 he responded to a domestic dispute and found evidence of meth manufacturing.
"His intuition and attention to details in the performance of his duties are a perfect example of the type of officer we need in this community protecting the citizens and their well being," wrote narcotics detective Thomas C. Tucker II in the letter recommending his commendation.
That year he also received exemplary reports for two separate felony drug arrests, both from his supervisor, sheriff's Lt. J. Greg Pike.
Also: Liberty County sheriff disputes claims of racial profiling after deputies pulled over lacrosse team
Read more: Sheriff says deputies did nothing wrong in HBCU bus search amid racial profiling accusations
After getting re-hired in 2019, Abbgy and another officer were formally recognized in 2020 for saving someone's life by using Narcan, and in 2021 was one of half a dozen deputies who helped fix up a porch for a 99-year-old WWII veteran.
Abbgy also received a letter of reprimand for his actions during a vehicle chase of a motorcycle on July 16, 2021.
"During that pursuit, you intentionally rammed the motorcycle to end the pursuit," wrote sheriff's Maj. Jerry Blash in the letter. "Based on your statement, you intentionally rammed the motorcycle because you feared for the safety of children and others in the immediate area of the pursuit. I understand and commend your concern. However, ramming a motorcycle with your vehicle is considered deadly force, even at a low speed. In this instance, the mere act of fleeing from the police does not warrant deadly force."
Blash issued the letter of reprimand and ordered Abbgy to take a course on vehicle pursuit and use of force within the month.
Harvey said that POST frequently mandates training for officers placed on probation, although he thought it would be less common for agencies to mandate it.
Prior to that, in 2013, Abbgy was written up for conducting a traffic stop and arrest without having his duty weapon on his person, and was reminded to tell people at first contact why he was conducting the stop. That year, he was transferred to the drug unit.
Arrests prior to employment
Deputies Tilley and Davis were more recent hires. Tilley was hired in 2016, and other than some tardy arrivals and missed shifts in 2017 and 2018, his personnel file mostly shows training certificates.
Davis was hired in 2021. He has no commendations or disciplinary reports. From 2017 to 2020 he worked for the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer, according to his job application to the sheriff's office.
Before getting hired by Liberty County; however, he was put on probation by POST. On April 20, 2020, Davis agreed to a consent order regarding a 2018 arrest for underage alcohol consumption that he had failed to report to POST. According to the report that accompanied the consent order, Davis had reported two other 2019 citations for hunting waterfowl after hours and hunting with illegal weapons or ammunition, which were later dismissed.
POST then investigated again after Davis self-reported an arrest that occurred during a domestic dispute on Nov. 8, 2020, according to records. Davis allegedly showed up at a house where his child's mother was staying and punched a man who was sleeping there on a couch. Davis was charged with criminal trespass and battery. The charges were later dismissed and Davis was ordered to complete an anger management class.
According to the POST record custodian, Davis' probation was supposed to last 12 months, but was extended to 48 months due to a compliance violation.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Liberty County deputies in Delaware State bus search have mixed records
