Deputy strikes Georgia detainee more than 20 times with fists and knees, feds say
A jail supervisor in Georgia struck a detainee 27 times, injuring him without reason, federal prosecutors said.
Ryan Robert Biegel, 27, a former deputy and jail corporal with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, was sentenced to 16 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in January to the assault, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a July 24 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to Biegel’s attorney July 25 but did not receive an immediate response.
According to court documents, Biegel and two other correctional officers entered the cell of a detainee — whose name was not revealed — Sep. 3, 2022, and pushed him against the wall while holding back his arms.
Biegel then punched the man five times in the back of his head before using his fists and knees to strike him in the head and body an additional 22 times, according to a plea agreement.
As a result, the man, who was being held pending a bond hearing, suffered from “bruising, swelling and physical pain,” according to the plea.
The assault was unjustified, as the man was not given a chance to comply with commands, prosecutors said.
“(Biegel) knew from his training and experience, these strikes were not reasonable or necessary to accomplish any legitimate law enforcement or penological purpose,” prosecutors said.
It was not made clear in court documents why Biegel and the correctional officers initiated the assault.
Camden County is in the southeastern part of Georgia, about a 50-mile drive north from Jacksonville, Florida.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Deputy strikes Georgia detainee more than 20 times with fists and knees, feds say."
