In a disturbing incident coming out of Barrow County, Sheriff Jud Smith has expressed his dismay upon the discovery that a jailer allegedly spiced up inmates' food with pepper spray. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Lolita Lightner, a 50-year-old detention officer, stands accused of cruelty to inmates and violating her oath of office. The case quickly escalated to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), who were called to thoroughly examine and to swiftly act on the matter. The alleged incident stunned Sheriff Smith, who commented, "I am shocked; it’s not an action that we expect any officer of the law to be involved in."
The GBI charged Lightner, and according to statements obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, the sheriff's office has since terminated her employment. Smith articulated a clear condemnation of these actions, remarking, "She's no different than anyone else. It's not our job to dole out punishment, and this was certainly not justified." Despite Lightner's apparent clean record and popularity at the jail, the Sheriff maintained that such behavior was completely out of line with the duties expected from a law enforcement officer.
The victims themselves, two inmates named Kantravious Johnson and Tarrance Jennings, have spoken out about their experience, as told in an 11Alive interview. They recounted the bizarre warning from Lightner the night before the incident, "Since y’all want to disrespect me like that, y’all better pray over y’all’s food in the morning," claimed Johnson. Their breakfast the following day included fries, biscuits, gravy, and chocolate cake - all reportedly tainted with pepper spray.
Immediately recognizing the abnormal heat in their mouths, the inmates soon concluded to have been served more than just a spicy meal. "My mouth got hotter, so I ran to the sink to try to get something to drink, then the next thing I know I start throwing up. Then after I threw up, I started coughing up blood," Johnson recounted to 11Alive. Subsequent to their reactions, other jailers took notice, with other inmates on work detail allegedly having witnessed Lightner deliberately pepper-spray the food trays. Both Johnson and Jennings are considering legal recourse as they recover from the ordeal. As of their latest updates, the GBI believes Lightner acted alone in the incident.
