ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Body camera footage is raising questions about how an in-custody medical emergency was handled after a suspect told arresting deputies he had ingested drugs.

Jefferey Reeves was taken into custody and transported to the Dougherty County Jail. However, footage shows that when deputies arrived, a jail officer immediately questioned why the man had been brought to the facility and indicated that he needed to go directly to the hospital instead.

Reeves was then driven to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In an exclusive interview with WALB News, Dougherty County Sheriff Terron Hayes responded directly to the footage, detailing the department’s protocol, what caused the transport delay, and the discipline faced by the deputy involved.

Bodycam Footage

What the bodycam shows

According to the body camera footage, Reeves told arresting officers that he had ingested drugs and was not okay.

Rather than going directly to the hospital, officers transported him to the Dougherty County Jail. When they arrived, a jail officer came outside and questioned why the man had been brought to the facility, stating he needed to go to the hospital.

The footage then shows Reeves being transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. He ultimately lost consciousness in the back of the Sheriff’s Office vehicle during transit and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

‘Exaggerated claims’ vs. medical diversion

Sheriff Hayes addressed the department’s protocol when arrestees claim to have ingested substances.

“Oftentimes individuals will say or give false claims or exaggerated claims that they’ve ingested drugs to get out of going to jail, to avoid going to jail,” Sheriff Hayes said.

Under the department’s policy, if an arrestee displays no obvious injuries or symptoms on scene, they are transported to the jail to be evaluated by medical staff.

However, if a subject shows active emergency symptoms prior to arrival, deputies are instructed to divert directly to the hospital. In this case, Hayes said the deputy’s observations on scene were different from what transpired later. Reeves and the arresting deputy were transported in separate vehicles.

Once they arrived at the jail, Reeves was assessed by a jail nurse who recommended immediate transport to Phoebe.

Delay in transport and deputy discipline

When asked if the arresting deputy followed protocol “to the T,” Sheriff Hayes said that protocol was followed but acknowledged a delay in getting Reeves to the hospital.

“He was waiting on a non-acceptance form,” Hayes said. “And that non-acceptance form was what he was looking to get to take with him while en route to the emergency room. So it was a few minutes delay with that. But he did follow protocol.”

Despite following transport protocol, the deputy was reprimanded on multiple counts following the incident.

According to Hayes, the deputy received a reprimand for “personal interactions” and “professionalism issues” with the intake sergeant at the jail. Additionally, the deputy was cited for neglect of duty.

“He got a neglect of duty because we realized that there could have been... he could have transported to the hospital instead of having some personal interactions,” Hayes said.

A plea to the community

Sheriff Hayes extended his prayers to the Reeves family and asked South Georgia residents to maintain their trust in his department.

“This is a difficult job. I would hope the citizens would maintain their trust in us,” Hayes said. “We definitely won’t avoid any loss of life... But we just want to continue to be here to serve this community to the best of our ability.”

He also urged the public to consider the impact of these situations. “We need individuals to understand, don’t put yourself in those positions because it puts us in a bad position as well.”

FULL INTERVIEW:

This is a developing story. WALB will update this story as more information becomes available.

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