Convenience Store Incident Leads to Civil Suit Against Clinch County Sheriff and Wife

HOMERVILLE, GA  – A cell phone video that went viral later captured the moments when Darrius Rice was handcuffed by Clinch County Sheriff Stephen Tinsley after Tinsley’s wife claimed that Rice had “groped” her inside a convenience store in Henry County.

The sheriff and his wife are parties to a legal litigation in which this footage is used.
While the case is still pending, WALB talked with Sheriff Tinsley and his attorney, who declined to comment.

However, we were able to receive a copy of the lawsuit, which charges Tinsley with breaching Rice’s Fourth Amendment rights and using excessive force.

Rice claims that once Clinch County Deputy April Tinsley moved away from the coffee counter inside the business, he had “unintentional and incidental contact with her.”

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Sheriff Tinsley’s conduct and use of force “were also malicious and/or involved reckless, callous, and deliberate indifference to Rice’s federally protected rights,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are alleging, among other things, “aggravation of pre-existing conditions; loss of constitutional and federal rights; physical injuries; great pain and emotional distress, including humiliation, anxiety, and depression; and more.”

WALB has asked Henry County for the official body camera footage, surveillance footage, and case file. View the lawsuit in its entirety here.

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Ashley Jackson and Darius Rice are requesting over $10 million in damages in addition to over $1 million in punitive penalties and legal fees.

The entire case is shown here.

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