More Bibb County deputies fired after investigations into their use of force
An investigation into two Bibb County deputies claims they allegedly used force while conducting arrests, the sheriff’s office said in a news release last week.
The deputies, Frank Flucas and Kenneth Hester, are no longer employed with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office following investigations that discovered alleged “policy and law violations,” according to Friday’s news release. Investigations into their conduct claimed they both used force against the people they arrested.
Flucas’ employment at the corrections division was terminated on Friday; Hester resigned from the animal welfare division on March 25.
A third deputy, Meshaun Gibson, was also let go Friday as a result of an alleged battery incident.
Flucas and Hester turned themselves in to the Bibb County Jail on Friday. They were released on bond.
Hester was charged with battery and Flucas was charged with simple battery, both misdemeanors. If their case proceeds to court, they face up to a year in prison if convicted. They can also face fines.
What the investigation claims
An investigation conducted by the Office of Professional Standards at the sheriff’s office claimed that “Flucas struck an inmate in the face while he was handcuffed,” according to the news release. The alleged incident occurred on March 26 inside the Bibb County Jail. No further information was provided.
Hester responded to a home in the 800 block of Schaeffer Place on Feb. 10, connected to “a subject from a prior animal cruelty case, and who was prohibited from having animals was in possession of animals,” the news release said.
The suspect allegedly became disorderly.
“In Hester’s attempt to effect the arrest on the male subject, he struck the subject in the face, causing a laceration,” the news release alleged.
“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with significant authority, and with that authority comes an equally significant responsibility to act within the law and the standards of the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff David Davis said, according to the release. “When those standards are violated, we have a duty to act decisively and transparently.”
A third deputy’s employment terminated
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office terminated Gibson from the patrol division, it announced. An internal investigation claimed that she allegedly used excessive force against a man who was “being compliant during the arrest,” according to the news release from Friday. She was responding to a domestic dispute, according to records.
She turned herself in to the jail and was released on bond Friday.
Gibson was charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor. If her case proceeds to court, she may face up to a year in prison and fines.
