It was 2:30 a.m. in 2023 when Jeremiah Roberson began experiencing car trouble as he was driving on an interstate highway through Butts County, Georgia, so he called 911 for help.
Roberson’s car was still drivable so the dispatcher advised him to drive to a nearby gas station which he did.
But when Butts County sheriff’s deputies pulled into the gas station in response to his call, they ended up beating, choking and tasering him so badly that it led to the arrest of one of the deputies.
Last week, Roberson, 33, filed a lawsuit against the three deputies involved in his arrest, accusing them of excessive force and failure to intervene each other to stop the abuse which included two deputies tasering him for nearly two minutes even though he never tried to run or fight with them.
The incident led to the resignation and conviction of Butts County sheriff’s deputy Dennis Lee Tippens – the first deputy to taser Roberson who also placed him in a chokehold. Tippens was sentenced to one year probation after pleading guilty to simple battery.
The second deputy to taser him for almost two minutes was Kyle Allen who was not arrested but was suspended by his department for three days as well as placed on 12-month probation within the department.
And there is no record of any disciplinary action against the third deputy, John Allen, who did not taser him but also did not intervene to stop the abuse.
Three weeks after the arrest, Roberson was cleared of all charges in the “interest of justice,” the claim states.
Watch the video below showing the deputies repeatedly tasering him, causing his body to convulse while ordering him to stop moving.
“An Act of Aggression”
The incident took place on July 3, 2023, while Roberson was driving on Interstate 75 through Butts County when he began having car trouble and called 911, believing they would help him.
Roberson, who lives in Henry County, which is just north of Butts County, followed the dispatcher’s advice to drive to the local JP Travel Center gas station which remains open 24 hours a day.
Roberson was standing next to his car with the hood up when Tippens pulled into the gas station in response to his call. Roberson also had his door open.
The deputy first examined the engine but then noticed a can of beer inside Roberson’s car so he called for backup which led to deputies Kyle and John Allen to arrive.
The three deputies surrounded Roberson while Tippens asked Roberson about the beer can, getting the reply that it had been left there by a passenger. Kyle Allen also searched Roberson for drugs or guns but found nothing.
Roberson, who told the deputies he had not been drinking, agreed to take a breathalyzer test to prove it, the claim states.
The lawsuit also states that when Tippens attempted to raise the breathalyzer device to Roberson’s mouth, Roberson “reflectively raised his hands to stabilize it,” which angered Tippens, especially when it happened at least three times, calling it “an act of aggression.”
But Roberson repeatedly apologized, telling the deputy his reflective reaction was a result of prior trauma.
According to the lawsuit obtained by Atlanta Black Star:
Tippens told Roberson that if he raised his hands toward the breathalyzer again, Tippens would consider it an “act of aggression” and that Roberson “would hit the concrete.”
The bodycam video shows that the movements of Roberson’s hands were not acts of aggression, and no reasonable person could have considered them acts of aggression, or acts that would place any of the Defendants or any other person, including Roberson, in any danger.
Throughout this exchange, Roberson continued apologizing for his reflexive movements in reaching towards the breathalyzer.
Tippens moved the breathalyzer toward Roberson’s mouth again, and Roberson again reflexively reached towards it in a non-aggressive manner that was in the form of preparing to guide the breathalyzer so that it did not strike him in his face.
The three deputies then tackled Roberson to the ground, causing his head to hit against his car and against the concrete ground as Roberson repeatedly apologized.
Tippens then tasered Roberson for two minutes before Kyle Allen did the same. Tippens then placed Roberson in a chokehold while Kyle Allen continued to taser him.
Meanwhile, the third deputy, John Allen, stood by watching, doing nothing to stop the torture.
At no point did John Allen tell Tippens not to continue using the taser on Roberson.
At no point did John Allen tell Kyle Allen not to continue using the taser on Roberson.
At no point did John Allen tell Tippens not to utilize the chokehold on Roberson.
Roberson was writhing and screaming in pain while being continuously tased by Kyle Allen and Tippens.
The deputies then picked him up and threw him into the back of a patrol car before transporting him to the Butts County Jail where he was placed in a solitary holding cell.
Less than three weeks later on July 21, 2023, all charges were dismissed against Roberson in the interest of justice, including three counts of obstruction of an officer, one count of an open container violation and one count of having an expired tag.
Tippens resigned from the Butts County Sheriff’s Office on August 3, 2023 and was charged with misdemeanor simple battery on August 9, 2023, according to online court records from Butts County.
He pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 6, 2023, and was sentenced to 12 months probation with credit for time served for one day, indicating he may have spent the night in jail after his arrest.
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