According to a lawsuit reported by CNN, Brunswick, Georgia, was the scene of a federal civil rights violation at Appling County jail. Tremar Harris, 37, was seen in a 2022 surveillance video being choked with a chain while three corrections officers stood by watching.
Officer William Rentz is said to have placed “the chain of an unused leg restraint” around Harris’ neck while he was restrained in a chair. Rentz subsequently pulled the chain against Harris’ neck and “strangled” him for approximately 4 seconds.
Warning, the following video is not graphic but it can be triggering. Please consider your mental health prior to viewing.
The three bystanding jailers are named in a separate lawsuit for failing to stop Rentz from abusing Harris. According to CNN:
Officers Daydan Brannon, Cannon Mcleod and Ansley Fennell failed to intervene or stop Rentz “from engaging in such an awful, unlawful, hateful, and sadistic act,” the lawsuit stated, saying the defendants “had the ability, opportunity, skill and time to prevent and immediately stop Officer Rentz from strangling the Plaintiff”
Rentz was ultimately fired over this incident, but Appling County has not responded to a CNN inquiry about the job status of Brannon, Mcleod and Fennell. Rentz is also facing criminal charges of violation of oath of office and battery that were filed in 2023