'Violating his oath of office': Jackson County deputy arrested, charged with assaulting inmate in jail cell
A Jackson County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Thursday on charges of assaulting an inmate in the county jail.
The alleged assault occurred May 10 inside a cell, where the deputy and the 17-year-old inmate had an argument, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said Thursday that she reviewed the matter and asked the GBI to investigate.
That probe led to the arrest of John Pursley, 53, of Jefferson on a felony charge of violating his oath of office and two counts of simple assault. He has been dismissed from his job.
Pursley, who had worked at the sheriff’s office since 2004, was released Thursday on a $1,500 bond.
“As the sheriff, I hold all of our staff to a higher standard, at all times. This is a hard day, for not only me, but for all of our staff,” Mangum said in a statement regarding the investigation.
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Jesse Maddox, agent-in-charge of the Athens office of the GBI, said the investigation is continuing and the results will be turned over to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Jackson County deputy arrested on charge of assaulting jail inmate
