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Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat has suspended all law enforcement units and reassigned personnel to the Rice Street Jail following the brutal attack that left 20-year-old inmate Tyrianna Ledbetter on life support.
The sweeping operational change was announced in a memo over the weekend, temporarily halting the sheriff’s crime-fighting units, including vehicle pursuits and traffic stops. All available staff have been redirected to focus on jail operations.
The move follows the September attack on Ledbetter, who remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. Her mother told FOX 5 that her daughter, who suffers from mental illness, was assaulted by another inmate, Shania White, whose family also says she struggles with mental health challenges.
PREVIOUSLY:
- Fulton County Jail ignored warnings about inmate’s mental health before attack, family says
- Civil rights activist joins family’s call for justice in Fulton County Jail assault case
- Fulton County inmate charged for allegedly attacking another inmate
- 20-year-old inmate injured at Fulton County Jail amid federal oversight
Fourteen days after the attack, Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said he and other county leaders have still not been briefed by the sheriff’s office.
“Under previous administrations, anytime anything would happen at the jail we would be notified immediately, instantaneously, about anything happening at the jail,” Pitts said. “I spoke with the county attorney, the county attorney has not been briefed. I spoke with Jessica Corbett, our director of external affairs. She has not been briefed.”
The shakeup also includes the reassignment of Chief Jailer Col. Jarrett Gorlin, who will now lead the Drone First Responder Program in a part-time capacity. Pitts questioned why a permanent, full-time employee was not overseeing the county’s main detention facility.
“I just find it strange that the chief jailer, for a jail as important as the Fulton County Jail, would not have a permanent full-time county employee in that position, as opposed to a dollar-per-year person,” Pitts said.
Pitts added that transparency will be critical as the county braces for potential legal fallout. “The fact that an attorney has been retained… Ray Charles could probably understand that a lawsuit is coming,” he said.
Pitts noted that the federal monitor overseeing the jail is in Atlanta this week and plans to be hands-on during the review process. He said he hopes to hear directly from Sheriff Labat at the next commission meeting.
