An internal affairs investigation discovered that there was no misconduct after Chayce Stokes was injured while being booked into the Floyd County Jail on May 5, 2024.
Stokes, who has a history of violent and drug offenses, was sentenced to prison after discharging a gun toward a home on 2nd Avenue in the direction of a woman in December 2022. Stokes struck a vehicle and two homes while unloading his gun. He was later found with numerous controlled substances and marijuana.
Also in 2022, Stokes was found with a large amount of marijuana, hydrocodone, methadone, packaging materials and numerous firearms.
Stokes had been sentenced to 20 years with five to serve after being convicted of aggravated assault, 4 counts of criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a schedule I and II controlled substance, possession of drug-related objects and obstruction of police.
According to the investigation, using video and testimony, Stokes appeared intoxicated and agitated upon his arrival with numerous officers attempting to calm him down. The video shows that officers repeatedly asked Stokes to step away from the counter so that they could conduct a pat down to make sure he had no weapons or drugs on him.
The video then shows that Stokes and other inmates became engaged in a verbal argument with Stokes becoming more agitated. Stokes then pushed away from officers when in an effort to prevent a physical confrontation with other inmates they took Stokes to the ground. The move resulted in Stokes suffering facial injuries before being taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Officers said that because Stokes continually refused to comply with officers in addition to the possibility of a physical altercation with other inmates they had to use force to subdue the situation.
Because of Stokes’ status as a post-convicted inmate, the use of force must be judged under the 8th Amendment’s “cruel and unusual punishment standard”. The United States Supreme Court ruled that force by officers can be used under the following criteria (self-defense, defense of a third person, enforcement of prison rules and regulations, prevention of escape and prevention of a crime).
Investigators ruled that Stokes was non-compliant with his attempt to free himself from the grasp of the officers and make threatening movements toward other inmates.
Investigators went on to say that video evidence proved that officers attempted to calm Stokes down repeatedly while deescalating the situation before being forced to use force to end the situation.
Floyd County Sheriff Dave Roberson issued the following statement when reached for comment. “I take all use of force incidents very seriously. Deputies must have a very clear understanding of not just their authority, but also their limitations. While our goal should always be de-escalation, sometimes it simply does not work. In this situation, this young man had turned himself in on a Superior Court-ordered sentence. He was under the influence when he arrived and began to act out during the booking process, using racial slurs and getting visibly agitated. As you can see in the video, the deputy attempts to de-escalate the situation several times and get him to relax. However, when the young man’s aggression continues to progress, the deputy takes him to the ground in order to maintain control of the situation. Once restrained, the young man was immediately taken to medical. He has since been transported to prison to serve his sentence for multiple felonies. As is always the case with use of force, this incident was investigated by our agency. Was this an ideal booking process? No. Did the deputy act reasonably given the escalating circumstances? Yes. Deputies are faced with dangerous situations like this every day and have to make split-second decisions in order to ensure the safety of others. While we wish de-escalation worked every time, the fact is use of force is sometimes necessary. And while various degrees of force exist, our deputies are expected to use only the degree of force that is objectively reasonable, given the facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time of the event, to effectively bring an incident under control.”
