Macon officer uncovered excessive force in jail death. Then she got charged, lawsuit says
A former Bibb County sergeant sued two of her coworkers Monday in Macon, alleging they falsely accused her of stealing from Goodwill after she found that a slain deputy had assaulted an incarcerated person, court records show.
The former sergeant, Jennifer Emory, claims the “malicious prosecution” against her came after she investigated the death of Deputy Christopher Knight, who was killed by incarcerated man Albert Booze. Emory’s investigation found that Knight unjustly used force against Booze, the lawsuit says.
After reporting her findings, Emory “became the target of two criminal investigation(s)” and eventually left the sheriff’s office, according to the lawsuit she filed Monday.
Emory’s investigative findings showed that Knight punched Booze in the face and got into a fight with him before Booze killed him, the lawsuit says. The Macon district attorney’s office asserted the same sequence of events earlier this year, and said the case was a sign of “deeply concerning practices at the Bibb County Jail.” Booze pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery.
Emory sued fellow Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies Brannon Grace and Brian Grady — as well as Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia, for whom Emory performed off-duty security work — claiming they had all conspired against her. Due to the criminal investigations, Emory ended her career at the sheriff’s office after over 21 years of service, her lawsuit says.
She accused Grace and Grady of providing false information that led to Emory’s arrest, which violated the 4th and 14th Amendments, as well as intentionally inflicting emotional distress. Goodwill is accused of being liable for the actions of Grace, who also worked security at the store, as he was acting within the scope of his employment with the thrift store, the lawsuit said.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Goodwill have not responded to the allegations in the lawsuit before publication. A lawsuit only represents one side of the argument. Grace, Grady and Goodwill had not filed a legal response to the allegations before publication.
Accused officer found wrongdoing inside jail, suit says
Emory, who worked as an investigator in the Internal Affairs division of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, was asked by Grace in 2020 to work off-duty security for a Goodwill Career Center at 240 Broadway. Grace had been in charge of “work-detail” for the thrift store for 10 years before asking Emory, according to the lawsuit.
Emory’s assignment was to “provide security for students” attending an HVAC training program at the career center, generally between 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., the lawsuit said.
“(Grace) further advised (Emory) that she was simply there to prevent the homeless from loitering and bothering the students and their vehicles,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiff was told she could sit in her vehicle and to check in on the class periodically.”
The lawsuit says that Emory was told she could leave the area during the HVAC program, but she maintained communication with the program’s instructor for schedules and activities so she could be there when needed, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said she never got any training or instruction for the job, and she was never told where she should be on the premises during her shift.
On April 6, 2021, Emory was assigned to investigation Knight’s death, the lawsuit says. Her investigation revealed that Booze, a “violent and problematic inmate with recurrent disciplinary violation(s) who suffered from mental health issues,” flooded his cell at around 2 a.m. at the D-200 block of the jail, according to the lawsuit. After an altercation with Booze, in which he threw toilet water on a deputy, Knight and other officers removed him from his cell and took him to a shower attached to the “lieutenant’s office” inside the jail.
In that area, which the lawsuit says has no surveillance, Knight took a pair of handcuffs off Booze and punched him in the face “in retaliation for throwing toilet water,” the lawsuit says. The two got into a fight, and Booze took a pocket knife from Knight and repeatedly stabbed him with it, the lawsuit says.
Booze pleaded guilty July 28 as a result of the incident, and a judge sentenced him to serve 13 years in prison and 12 years on probation.
She was arrested for theft, violation of oath
Just after a month after her investigation into Knight’s death started, Grady reported Emory to the sheriff’s office on May 7, 2021, claiming she had stolen $3,700 from the Goodwill Career Center. He also said she was supposed to be working at the location from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, with little exception, and said he couldn’t find Emory on the security cameras, according to the lawsuit.
“Surprisingly, notwithstanding the fact that Defendant Grace was a fact witness with direct involvement in the matter and in clear violation of investigative ethics, Defendant Grace was assigned to investigate the case (against Emory),” the lawsuit said.
As a result of a report from Grady, Emory was put on administrative leave, the lawsuit says. An investigation was prompted, which resulted in Grady, Grace and the HVAC program instructor being interviewed.
During the interview, Grace and Grady made conflicting statements against Emory, the lawsuit alleges. They said Emory was required to be at the location from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., parked in a specific place, but then later admitted she was allowed to run errands, leave early and park in other available places at the career center.
Regardless, she was arrested on one count of theft by deception and violation of oath by a public officer on July 19, 2021. She then quit a couple of days later.
Emory’s case was dismissed after a grand jury didn’t indict her on the charges, the lawsuit said.
“Defendants’ actions have caused Plaintiff damages including, but not limited to, severe emotional distress, humiliation, reputational harm, diminished standing in the community, embarrassment, and outrage,” the lawsuit said.
