It’s been two months since the Richmond County grand jury refused to indict three officers after finding no evidence they beat a handcuffed suspect in a sheriff’s office elevator.
And the fate of those men – Quincy Cannon, Andrew Acosta, and Robert Wilson – have taken different turns.
One of them, Acosta, has returned as deputy, presumably forgiven for what internal affairs officers originally said was a violation of his oath of office.
But the future for Cannon and Wilson is much different. They complain about unfair treatment and spell out why they are pursuing wrongful termination complaints against the sheriff’s office.
Last year, the three officers were accused of violating their oath of office after two of them struck 34-year-old Vernon Cratic following his arrest for shooting an officer in the face. Cannon and Acosta were also charged with battery.
The grand jury returned a “no bill” despite a GBI investigation that revealed that Cratic was struck in the face and stomach while handcuffed in the elevator at the sheriff’s office on Nov. 10, 2022. In addition, Cratic was slammed against an exterior wall of the Sheriff’s Office while handcuffed and being escorted into the building.
The officers told investigators that Cratic was resisting arrest, and they used their training to gain compliance. At least one of the officers said Cratic stiffened up his legs, making officers struggle to move him, and they said he was preparing to head-butt them when he was struck.
While Cannon has found a job with another police agency in the region, Wilson is working private security a few times a week at a local bar until he finds a better law enforcement gig.
Both Wilson and Cannon filed complaints against the sheriff’s office with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Cannon is also preparing a discrimination lawsuit with the EEOC handling his investigation.
In a charge letter to the EEOC, Cannon alleges that he was asked to sign a voluntary letter of resignation.
“I was asked to resign but my similarly situated white co-workers were only suspended,” he said in the official complaint. “I believe that I have been discriminated against based on my race.”
Cannon’s biggest complaint is that Ty Dailey, a white deputy, was only suspended – not fired or arrested – after failing to fill out a use-of-force report and punching a suspect several times in the face while the man was handcuffed.
That man who was hit, Cameron Ruff, claimed excessive use of force. An internal affairs investigation resulted in Dailey being suspended for seven days without pay.
“The only thing that is different between me and Ty is the color of our skin,” Cannon said. “I am fed up with it.”
Since Deputy Dailey returned to duty, he was involved in a fatal accident. He was driving his patrol car in Burke County when the death occurred. Jay Fager, 75, was killed in the crash on March 26. District Attorney Jared Williams said last month that he has the Dailey case. Charges are possible.
For his part, Wilson has been given a right to sue letter by the EEOC and is actively seeking an attorney to take a case for wrongful termination. He is claiming retaliation, saying he lost his job and was arrested for not lying in the Cratic case.
“They were mad that I didn’t play ball with higher ups in the GBI saying I saw something I didn’t see,” Wilson said. “I told the truth that I didn’t see nothing. If I had gone back and told the (false) story, then they would have got me for lying under oath.”
Wilson complains that a sheriff’s corporal wasn’t disciplined for the same thing, saying he didn’t see Deputy Dailey striking Ruff even though there is video proving the corporal saw it.
“He didn’t get a day’s suspension for that thing,” Wilson said. “He kept his job and he kept his rank. … Richmond County only wants to pursue policies and discipline that benefits them.”
More than anything, the two officers are upset that they were loyal to the sheriff’s office, and they feel Sheriff Richard Roundtree and Chief Deputy Pat Clayton weren’t loyal to them. Both Cannon and Wilson have military experience with Wilson serving in the Navy and Cannon serving in the Marines.
They ended up with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, where Wilson gave six years of service. Cannon served over four years and received many commendations medals.
“They turned their back on us,” Wilson said. “Once we got charged, not one time did the sheriff or chief reach out to us.”
What does Cannon want?
“I want people in Richmond County to start getting treated fairly across the board,” he said.
