PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Pinellas County Sheriff's Office detention deputy was terminated Friday following an investigation into an incident during which the deputy violently took down an inmate and in the process broke their arm.
- Incident occurred in January
- Deputy Amy Gee, 37, admitted she acted inappropriately
- No prior disciplinary actions against Gee
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According to the Sheriff's Office, on January 8, 2019, Deputy Amy Gee, 37, came into contact with Marie Butler, 54, who had been arrested on a charge of disorderly intoxication. Gee escorted Butler to the booking counter at the jail, where she tried to obtain Butler's name for the purpose of identifying her, but Butler did not respond.
While the two were at the counter, Gee stood off to Butler's right side, holding the inmate's jacket with her left hand. Butler at the time was handcuffed with her hands behind her back.
Officials said at one point Butler shifted her weight away from Gee, who then pulled her back in her direction. Butler then moved away from Gee a second time, and that time in addition to pulling her back Gee used her right hand to take hold of Butler's throat.
Gee simultaneously placed her right foot behind Butler's legs, which allowed the deputy to slam Butler to the ground, still holding her by the throat. With her hands still cuffed, Butler was unable to break her fall and landed directly on her left arm.
The impact caused a fracture to Butler's left humerus, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said that although Butler was not obeying commands from Gee, she was not physically resisting or verbally threatening deputies. At the same time, they found that Gee did not ask for help from other deputies.
Butler later told investigators that she suffered medical issues which made it uncomfortable for her to stand, and that she was not trying to resist or get away from deputies when she shifted her weight away from Deputy Gee.
During the course of the investigation, Gee admitted that she acted inappropriately and did not feel as if Butler was going to harm her or other deputies.
As a result of those findings, a review board determined that Gee used unnecessary force in violation of the Sheriff's Office's policy. That determination led to Gee's termination, effective April 5.