Deputy’s racist Facebook comments found, leading to his suspension, Georgia sheriff says
A Georgia deputy is suspended after he’s accused of posting racially-charged comments on social media, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
An investigation into deputy Clay Stevens was launched after the sheriff’s office was alerted to the online comments, according to a statement posted on Facebook.
Screenshots shared by concerned citizens showed racist remarks reportedly posted by Stevens about Black Newton County residents.
“The Office of the Sheriff does not condone this behavior,” the office wrote on Facebook. “We thank those who have reached out to our agency with information regarding this incident.”
In response to one resident’s complaint about a group of young Black men seen walking the neighborhood, Stevens advised that he should “tell them to move back to Decatur ASAP,” according to screenshots shared online. Decatur sits just east of downtown Atlanta and is home to about 25,000 residents — 15% of whom identify as Black or African-American, U.S. census data shows.
Additional information about the investigation wasn’t immediately available.
Newton County is about 40 miles southeast of Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Deputy’s racist Facebook comments found, leading to his suspension, Georgia sheriff says."