A Pinellas County detention deputy was fired after the sheriff’s office said they used unnecessary force on an inmate.
The Administrative Investigation Division said Deputy Amy Gee was working as a detention deputy in January when she grabbed an inmate, Marie Butler, by the throat and slammed her to the ground during the booking process. Investigators said Gee also placed had her foot between Butler’s legs and that caused her to fall to the ground.
Butler’s hands were secured behind her back so couldn’t break her fall and so when she hit the ground she fractured her arm, authorities said.
Gee told investigators Butler wasn't listening to her orders to get her booking photo taken.
Butler told investigators she lost her balance because she drank too many alcoholic beverages and said, "my gait wasn't a hundred percent."
Investigators said that even though Butler was not responding to Gee's verbal commands, she wasn’t physically resisting or verbally threatening law enforcement.
Investigators said Gee didn’t ask for any assistance from other deputies and Butler's actions did not demonstrate the necessity of the force used.
After the investigation, the Administrative Review Board determined that Deputy Gee utilized unnecessary force and violated the Sheriff's Office policy and terminated her.
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