Sheriff: More Jail Inmates Will Die if Commission Doesn't Raise Deputy Pay

More inmates will die at the Athens-Clarke County jail unless the ACC Commission approves funding for deputy pay raises, Sheriff John Williams told commissioners at a budget hearing last week. Two men, aged 39 and 32, died while in custody within the past month. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting autopsies but has not released the results. “I’m telling you in no uncertain terms, more people are going to die if I can’t hire more people. Is that clear?” Williams told commissioners. “If I don’t get my staffing up, the next person who dies at that jail, let it be on your head,” he continued. “The next time one of your Clarke Count…