CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — UPDATE: The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday that Victor Hill is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institute in Forrest City, Arkansas.
Original story below
Victor Hill, the now-former Clayton County sheriff who was convicted last year of abusing inmates through the use of a restraint chair, is due to report to federal prison Monday.
Hill was found guilty of violating the inmates' civil rights in a federal trial last year. He was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Following his sentence, Hill is required to do six years of supervised probation and pay $600.
A video posted to his Facebook page showed him getting onto a plane Monday morning.
His attorneys filed appeal, and he had been hoping to be allowed to remain free on bond pending that appeal - but the legal move was denied by a federal judge last week.
The former sheriff, who was one of the most influential and politically formidable local elected leaders in metro Atlanta, will serve his sentence at a prison in Arkansas.
He retired as sheriff following the conviction last year - though underscoring his continuing influence in Clayton County, last month his protégé Levon Allen was elected the new sheriff.
More on the case
Victor Hill is a controversial figure in the metro Atlanta area, known for calling himself "The Crime Fighter" and using Batman imagery in his campaign ads and social media promotions. This is his second trial on criminal charges, as he was previously accused of using his office for personal gain while under indictment in 2012 but beat those charges.
In 2021, a 12-page federal indictment was unsealed, charging Hill with four felonies related to the violation of the civil rights of four Clayton County jail inmates. The indictment alleges that Hill directed the inmates to be strapped into restraint chairs for hours at a time, causing them physical and mental harm.
A new indictment was brought against Hill in March, adding two new charges to his criminal case. In one instance, a man arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at two men outside his home in Jonesboro was allegedly left strapped in the restraint chair for hours. Another man, who was compliant and never posed a threat to anyone, was also allegedly subjected to the same treatment.
Hill allegedly made derogatory comments to one detainee, telling him to leave the county and calling him a derogatory name. In another incident, he threatened detainees with extended time in the restraint chair if they repeated their criminal behavior.