The Richmond County grand jury refused Tuesday to indict three officers in the beating of a handcuffed suspect in a sheriff’s office elevator last year.
The grand jury returned a “no bill” against former deputies Quincy Cannon, Andrew Acosta, and Robert Wilson, according to sources talking to The Austin Rhodes Show and The Augusta Press.
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.
District Attorney Jared Williams reportedly presented the case to the grand jury Tuesday before the no-bills were returned.
In an unrelated case, the grand jury also returned a “no bill” on RCSO Deputy Arnold Verge, declining to indict the officer for allegedly failing to act to prevent Deputy Jailer Michael Rivera from assaulting an inmate last year.
In the Cratic case, a GBI investigation 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, according to a GBI press release.
But 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. Wilson told authorities that he didn’t witness the attack since his back was turned to punch the elevator button.
After Cratic accused the officers of assault, the sheriff’s office asked the GBI to investigate and eventually forced the three to resign or be fired in light of their arrests. The arrest and subsequent unemployment forced the officers to cash in their 401Ks to pay bills.
Cratic is a parolee with a lengthy record of arrests. 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 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.
