It was around 2:30 a.m. on a day in 2023 when Jeremiah Roberson, 33, began facing some car trouble on his way to the interstate highway through Butts County, Georgia. When he dialed 911, the dispatcher advised him to drive to a nearby gas station, as his car was still drivable. However, the entire ordeal turned out to be completely different when the Butts County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the gas station in response to Roberson’s call.
According to the Atlanta Black Star, one of the deputies was even arrested after the cops allegedly ended up beating, choking, and tasering Roberson. Following the incident, the man filed a lawsuit against the three deputies who arrived at the gas station following the 911 call. He accused them of using excessive force and claimed that two of the deputies continued to taser him for two minutes even though he was not trying to flee. Roberson added that the cops failed to stop each other from abusing him.
As a result of this incident, Butts County sheriff’s deputy Dennis Lee Tippens was asked to resign. Tippens was the first to taser Roberson and also placed him in a chokehold. Following the deputy’s conviction, he was sentenced to one year’s probation. Dennis Lee Tippens pleaded guilty to simple battery.
Kyle Allen was the second officer who tased Roberson as well. Although he wasn’t arrested, he was ultimately suspended by his department for three days. In addition, he has also been placed on a 12-month probation within the department. The third deputy, John Allen, however, has not faced any disciplinary action. While he did not participate in tasing Jeremiah, he also did not stop the others from inflicting the abuse.
In his lawsuit, Roberson explained that he only followed the dispatcher’s advice and drove to the local JP Travel Center gas station, which is open 24 hours a day. He was standing right next to his car with his door and hood open when the deputies arrived. The situation got intense when Tippens noticed a can of beer inside the car.
Incident led to resignation and conviction of Butts County sheriff’s deputy Dennis Lee Tippens – the first deputy to taser Roberson who also placed him in a chokehold. Tippens was sentenced to one year probation after pleading guilty to simple batteryhttps://t.co/MYJBiSjh8L
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He called for backup, and the two other deputies arrived at the scene. Roberson clarified that he had not been drinking, and the can was left in his car by a passenger. He was also searched for drugs or guns, but nothing was found on him.
During the breathalyser test, there was a moment when the man “reflectively raised his hands to stabilize it.” However, this angered the deputy, who then labeled it as an “act of aggression.” Although Roberson thoroughly apologized, clarifying that his reaction was due to his past trauma, he was ultimately abused by the deputies and was picked up in their patrol car.
Just three weeks later, the charges against him were dismissed in the “interest of justice.”
