VIDEO: Camden Co. deputy hits driver during traffic stop, NAACP calls for removal

CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — Dashcam video shows a Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputy screaming, punching, and yanking a suspect’s hair while handcuffed.

The incident was from January, but the NAACP Camden Chapter got a tip of it this week and released the video on its Facebook page. The organization is now calling for the deputy to be fired.

“This is a violation of public trust. And we want to see Dep. [Christi] Newman off the streets,” President Timothy Bessent, said. “We believe Dep. Newman should be terminated and we want to go as far as saying that she should be arrested because she did assault this individual during that traffic stop.”

According to the police report, Deputy Newman pulled over a pickup truck for failing to stop at a stop sign. During the traffic stop, the police report states the suspect had a suspended license, which is when Deputy Newman asked her to step out of the vehicle.

“I want you to step out,” Newman can be heard saying in body camera video given to Action News Jax by the NAACP. “There’s not a reason,” the suspect said.

“Because I told you to step out. I want you to step out because I need you to step out,” Newman said back.

Deputy Newman called for backup and a second deputy arrived after hitting the driver’s front bumper. That’s when tempers flare and Deputy Newman can be seen in dashcam video reaching into the truck and yanking the suspect to the pavement.

According to the police report, the driver “was resisting and holding on to the steering wheel while shoving and yanking me.”

The deputies tase the suspect and handcuff her, which is when Deputy Newman can be seen punching the suspect twice and grabbing her hair.

“In my attempt to control the situation, she ended up being hit in the face and forcefully put on the bumper of my patrol car,” the police report stated.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Newman was immediately given a warning and time off without pay.

Action News Jax dug through Newman’s personnel files which show she has not received any other disciplinary warnings in her more than two years on the force.

The warning report said, “after watching dash camera video and body-worn camera of Deputy C. Newman it was determined she was in violation of the use of force police in accordance with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.” It went on to read “she also made multiple officer safety errors.”

Deputy Newman was re-trained on the use of force and officer safety, according to CCSO.

“The outcome in terms of the warning letter and re-training is precise all these individual needs,” Action News Jax’s Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson said. He has years of experience as an officer. “What happened was obviously not expected. On either side of that equation. So something went wrong. And we have training [for that].”

Carson said what he witnessed in the video is not the technique law enforcement agencies use.

Just two months after the incident, in March, Newman was awarded ‘Deputy of the Month’. Her personnel file revealed a letter sent to the Sheriff’s Office in February that praised Deputy Newman’s actions during an incident at a local campground. She did an “incredible job de-escalating a situation,” the letter read.

The NAACP of Camden County released the following statement on its Facebook page:

“Inexcusable. Once again, a disturbing incident has come to light involving a routine traffic stop escalating into violence at the hands of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. CCSO Dep. C. Newman’s Employee Warning Report from CCSO speaks for itself, stating that: ‘After watching dash camera video and body-worn camera of Deputy C. Newman it was determined that she was in violation of the use of force policy in accordance with the Camden County’s Sheriff’s Office. Once the driver of the vehicle was placed in handcuffs, deputy Newman struck the female driver in the face twice. Deputy Newman then grabbed the female driver by the hair and rammed her head into the front push bumper of her patrol car while she posed no immediate threat.’ The driver, Charis Faria, had been pulled over by Dep. Newman for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. The incident took place on January 16, 2022. While NAACP Camden County Branch is working to establish and maintain constructive relationships with local law enforcement, we will also call for accountability in these agencies when citizens are abused or harmed. Officer misconduct should not be tolerated by any police department. Once again, we call for CCSO Dep. Newman to be immediately removed from duty and thoroughly investigated for a pattern of excessive force and brutality.”

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