Suspended Georgia sheriff convicted of civil rights abuses

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict on six of seven charges against a suspended Georgia sheriff accused of violating the constitutional rights of people in his custody by unnecessarily strapping them into restraint chairs.

Victor Hill had been suspended as Clayton County sheriff after his indictment last year.

Prosecutors said he had detainees strapped into restraint chairs for hours even though they posed no threat and complied with deputies’ instructions.

Defense attorneys asserted that Hill used the restraint chair legally to maintain order at the jail and didn’t overstep his lawful authority.