ATLANTA — A jury was seated late this afternoon in a federal lawsuit against former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, concerning allegations of misconduct involving a restraint chair, Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne learned Monday.
The case centers around Glenn Howell, who claims he was strapped into a restraint chair for over six hours while compliant, following a dispute with Hill over billing for landscaping work.
Howell recounted being strapped into a restraint chair for about six and a half hours, despite not resisting.
Howell’s attorney, Darryl Scott, described the incident as “torture” and referred to Hill as a “vigilante sheriff” during opening statements.
The lawsuit alleges that Hill’s actions were “willfully, deliberately, sadistically, maliciously and in conscious disregard” for Howell’s rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The incident reportedly began with a billing dispute over landscaping work Howell performed for one of Hill’s deputies, leading to a misdemeanor harassing communications warrant against Howell.
Hill’s attorney, Michael Hoffer, said the sheriff did not inflict any pain on Howell or order anyone else to, and a nurse checked the restraints to be sure they were properly applied.
Hill was previously convicted in a related federal civil rights criminal case. His attorney said that made him as the first law enforcement official in the U.S. to be convicted for the use of a restraint chair.
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