State Agency Investigating Three Former Houston Deputies for Involvement in Pressure Washing Inmate

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council is investigating three former Houston County deputies who were fired for their involvement in pressure washing an inmate.

On Friday, 41NBC reported the former inmate, Christopher Holt is suing Houston County and several former and current deputies for using a pressure washer on him last June.

Today, 41NBC spoke with POST Director Ryan Powell. He’s over the operations division. He told us POST is investigating former deputies Lee Michelle Becham, Ryan Burleson, and Shannon Perry. He couldn’t confirm the investigation was related to that incident, but he said POST began an investigation last September after they were fired for their involvement in the pressure washer incident.

Powell says it usually takes about a year to complete an investigation. Once it wraps up those individuals could lose their POST certification, be put on some type of probation, or the investigators could determine no further action needs to be taken.

Holt is suing those three, and three current deputies Chad Cuskey, George Horne and Chester Prue, along with Mark Perry who resigned from the Houston County sheriff’s office in March 2012.

The lawsuit claims they violated his civil rights when he was pressure washed. Houston County Chief Deputy Billy Rape told 41NBC deputies used the hose on Holt after he allegedly spread feces on himself and the walls of the jail. Deputies said the pressure washer was defective and was less powerful then a garden hose.

41NBC reached out to Houston County Attorney Tom Hall, he didn’t want to comment yet because the county still hasn’t been formally served with a suit. We also tried contacting the people named in the suit, but could not reach them.

Related: Inmate Washed with Pressure Washer Suing Houston County and Deputies Involved