A Richmond County woman has filed a lawsuit claiming she was raped by a Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The suit names Sheriff Richard Roundtree, City Administrator Odie Donald and members of the Augusta Commission at the time of the alleged incident in June 2019.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia’s Augusta office on Sept. 20, 2021, was first filed in Richmond County Superior Court on Aug. 16, 2021. However, it was moved to federal court at the request of the defendants.
In the lawsuit, the woman claims she attended a private party at the Julian Smith Casino on Broad Street on June 14, 2019. She said alcohol was being served at the event and Deputy Charlie T. Walker had been hired on a special duty assignment to provide security in the parking lot.
The woman said she left the party about midnight but after turning onto Washington Road, she realized she had made a wrong turn. She pulled over on a side street to use her GPS to map her route home when Deputy Walker pulled along side her car and asked if she was lost. The woman explained the situation. The lawsuit reads that Walker told her he smelled alcohol, asked if she had been drinking and then instructed her to follow him back out onto Washington Road.
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The woman said on Washington Road, both cars then pulled over, Walker requested her license and insisted he smelled alcohol. He again instructed her to follow him, and she complied.
The lawsuit claims the deputy led her down an unfamiliar, poorly lit street. When they stopped, he again approached her car and told her she was beautiful. The court case said Walked returned to his patrol car, removed his utility belt, left it in the car and retrieved a condom.
According to the lawsuit, Walker “got down on top of her and forced himself inside of her,” raping the woman along the side of the road in the dark. When finished, he returned her driver’s license.
The lawsuit goes on to claim Deputy Walker had had multiple complaints filed against him prior to June 2019, specifically detailing a March 2017 incident when he turned off his body camera during an encounter with an inebriated man. The lawsuit said Walker beat the man, then transported the man miles away from his home, dumped him and stole his bicycle. According to the document, Walker was suspended for seven days and placed on one year probation.
The defendants filed a response to the lawsuit on Oct. 11, 2021, denying the allegations and denying they had been negligent or acted in bad faith and, “To the extent that they are being sued in an official capacity, Defendants are entitled to sovereign immunity.”
A Dec. 13, 2021, scheduling order gives both sides until Jan. 18, 2022, to file motions and to amend or add parties to the lawsuit.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to a request for Deputy Walker’s current employment status.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
