Three Richmond County deputies have been arrested following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation of the possible beating up a handcuffed suspect after the man was arrested for allegedly shooting a deputy in the face last month.
Deputies Quincy Cannon, 31, and Andrew Acosta, 25, are charged with battery and violation of oath of office. Deputy Robert Wilson, 45, is only charged with violation of oath of office in the incident that happened at the sheriff’s office after an officer-involved shooting involving suspect Vernon Cratic, 34. The parolee allegedly shot Deputy Michael Cole after a standoff at a home on Bungalow Road.
A GBI investigation revealed that Cratic was struck in the face and stomach while handcuffed in the elevator at the sheriff’s office. In addition, Cratic was slammed against an exterior wall of the Sheriff’s Office while handcuffed and being escorted into the building, according to a GBI press release.
The three deputies have been charged with the following & booked into the Richmond County Jail:
Quincy Cannon, age 31 – Battery and Violation of Oath of Office
Andrew Acosta, age 25 – Simple Battery and Violation of Oath of Office
Robert Wilson, age 45 – Violation of Oath of Office
The suspect is a parolee with a lengthy record of arrests. He served less than one year of a five-year sentence for burglary and was released in April 2020.
On Nov. 10, deputies responded at 1:41 a.m. to a disturbance call on the 2200 block of Bungalow Road. When they arrived, deputies learned that Cratic was inside the home and had a gun.
“Two deputies entered the home to speak with Cratic about the disturbance call when he began firing at the deputies,” the GBI said in a press release. “The deputies returned fire but did not hit Cratic. During the exchange of gunfire, one of the deputies was shot.”
Additional units responded to the scene and secured the home until the Richmond County SWAT team arrived. RCSO SWAT began negotiations with Cratic to have him surrender peacefully. While negotiations were taking place, Cratic continued to shoot at law enforcement officers on scene.
At around 4 a.m. that day, Cratic surrendered to members of the RCSO SWAT team. He was taken to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and charged with five counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer, as well as weapon possession and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The officer who was shot was taken by Sheriff’s Office personnel to Augusta University Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries and underwent several surgeries. No other officers were injured during the incident.
The GBI investigation is ongoing. Once the case is done, the case file will be given to the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
