Pepper-spray incident leads to dismissal
An administrator at the Jack Jones Juvenile Detention Center has been fired after an investigation revealed he allegedly used unnecessary force against detainees, the Jefferson County sheriff’s office announced Thursday.
Following a complaint the office received Feb. 2, according to a news release, the allegations against then-detention center administrator Eric Hobbs were investigated. The sheriff’s office stated it learned during the investigation of an incident on Jan. 11 in which Hobbs reportedly deployed oleoresin capsicum, aka pepper spray, against a detainee. A report of the incident was signed by Hobbs as the reporting officer, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Video footage from a camera within the Jack Jones Juvenile Detention Center was obtained regarding this incident,” the news release reads. “While watching the video of the incident on January 11, 2024, it was determined Hobbs used unnecessary force against the juvenile detainee, spraying the juvenile three separate times with pepper spray, while no signs of a threat to Hobbs could be seen. After comparing Hobbs’s report with the video of the incident, it was evident Hobbs was not truthful about the events leading up to the use of force or the amount of times Hobbs used that force.”
Hobbs was placed on administrative leave pending review of the incident. Maj. John Bean, the sheriff’s public information officer, told The Commercial he and Chief John Hughes investigated the incident internally and forwarded results of the probe to counsel, which informed Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. that his office “would be justified to terminate Hobbs.”
“The sheriff had determined for us to look into it,” Bean responded when asked why an outside investigation wasn’t done.
Hobbs was terminated Feb. 16 for “violation of the policy and procedures regarding standards of conduct, and use of force,” according to the sheriff’s office. Hobbs waived his rights to an appeal through private counsel Thursday. It was not indicated who represented Hobbs.
“The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the operation of our detention centers and will continue to take decisive action against those employees who violate our policies or the law,” Woods said. “The actions taken by Hobbs do not reflect the policy or training conducted by our agency and do not reflect the expected conduct of our detention staff who are charged with the duty to protect and secure our detainees whether adults or juveniles. These expectations are placed upon every level of our office. No one is above the policy and procedures set forth by my office, or the criminal [statutes] which our state Legislature has put in place and our deputies are sworn and commissioned to uphold.”