MACON, Ga. — A deputy has been fired after an internal affairs investigation stemming from the jail escape this year, according to a release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Travaris Freeman, one of the deputies in the jail on Oct. 16 when four men escaped, has been terminated.
The release says that Freeman failed to maintain the safety and security of the jail. It says Freeman failed to follow the protocol that resulted in Marc Anderson, Joey Fournier, Johnifer Barnwell and Chavis Stokes escaping from the Bibb County Jail on Oct. 16.
They say Freeman violated the following policies: Unbecoming Conduct, Unsatisfactory Performance and Jail Operations.
Freeman was terminated as an employee with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at the direction of Sheriff David Davis. This incident is still under investigation and further disciplinary actions pertaining to other staff members, are to be determined.
According to staffing documents from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Freeman was placed in the west wing of the Bibb County Jail on the night of the escape. In total there were four deputies in the jail that night plus three others who are listed as having worked overtime or part-time shifts that night.
The release included the following explanations for each of the three violations.
Unbecoming Conduct.
- Conduct unbecoming an employee shall include that which brings the Sheriff’s Office into disrepute or reflects discredit upon the employee as a member of the Sheriff’s Office, or that which impairs the operation or efficiency of the Sheriff’s Office or the employee.
Unsatisfactory Performance.
- Employees shall maintain sufficient competency to properly perform their duties and assume the responsibilities of their positions.
- Employees shall perform their duties in a manner, which will maintain the highest standards of efficiency in carrying out the functions and objectives of the Sheriff’s Office.
Jail Operations.
- When conducting checks at night, the officer checking inmates should use a flashlight. Judiciously, The officer is to ensure the inmate he counts is breathing, and human flesh is visible.
- Staff officers shall not rely solely on closed-circuit television to supervise inmates. Direct in-person surveillance is to be made on every inmate in the general population at staggered intervals at least every 60 minutes.