Marietta Youth Detention Center assistant director punched, choked 14-year-old girl, police say
A former Marietta Youth Detention Center employee is charged with child cruelty.
Police say the victim is a 14-year-old girl who was in custody at the youth detention center.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell reported three witnesses listed in the arrest warrant allegedly saw the former assistant director, Vanderia Britton, punch and choke the girl at the facility.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Police say he also hit the victim with a portable radio.
Now, Britton is in the Cobb County Jail, less than one mile away from where he worked, and charged with cruelty to children, a felony.
It's unclear what led up to the alleged attack, but court documents reveal how violent police say it was.
Investigators say he punched the girl in the face before he placed his hands around her neck, choking her until she was on the floor.
Investigators say the victim's injuries required stitches to her face. According to the arrest warrant, the incident happened in April.
Britton was arrested earlier this week. He is being held without bond.
The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice said he resigned from his position while he was under investigation, and his behavior represents a clear violation of his oath of office.
'The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for actions like those exhibited by Britton, and we are committed to operating safe and secure facilities,' the agency said in a statement.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former sheriff's deputy says he was discriminated against while attending event at Nutter Center
A man who claims he was discriminated against while trying to get into an event at the Nutter Center has contacted the Department of Justice. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Jason Davis was trying to find a parking spot when he ran into some problems. TRENDING STORIES: Bodies of 3 missing sisters found after visit with their father Police recover 7 firearms on 'proactive patrol' at former nightclub Escaped zebra remains at large after 'wreaking havoc' on busy interstate Davis was a deputy for 20 years in Greene County. He was hurt on the job and now struggles to walk up steps. When he showed up to the WWE SmackDown event at the Nutter Center, he was hoping to park in one of the handicapped parking spots in lot 9, but he says a security guard wouldn't let him. 'I had a handicap placard visible, which is what we've always been told to do is make sure it's visible, so we have no issues getting in or out. So, we had to go around to the front of the Nutter Center and into the far side of it where we were able to find a couple spots up there,' Davis said. Davis was flustered but still determined to get into the event with his daughter and her boyfriend. He quickly found a different security guard and asked her where to enter with handicapped tickets. 'And she looks at me and she's like, 'Well, you don't look handicapped. So, you're not coming in this entrance.' And I said, excuse me? What do you mean I don't look handicapped? And she's like, 'You're getting around just fine,'' Davis said. Davis was hurt three years ago while on patrol. He was trying to get a tree limb out of the road after a windstorm. 'The tree snapped, and it threw me across the road. And when I landed, I landed on my gun belt and my flashlight, and it basically blew my femur apart in four different spots,' Davis said. Davis had surgery and now has pins and rods in his leg, making it hard for him to walk up and down stairs. 'I waited a few days, and I gave the director of operations at the Nutter Center a phone call and he absolutely sounded like he was angry, but again, I haven't heard any more from him,' Davis said. A spokesperson for the Nutter Center told News Center 7 that they bring in contractors for things like parking and security when big events happen. Wright State University said the contractor working at that event is Ohio Entertainment Security. News Center 7 reached out to the company, but they said they didn't work the event. The university added that they're taking this seriously and looking into the allegations. Davis said he's waiting to hear back from the Department of Justice. 'My only thought was how many other people she talks to, or you know, what was the rationale behind saying something like that,' Davis said. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man falls from cliff while reportedly evading authorities; boat fire could connect him to crimes
Firefighters are revealing new details about the rescue of a man who fell over 40 feet off of cliff while reportedly running from law enforcement in Clark County on Sunday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As News Center 7 previously reported, the incident happened at the Mad River Gorge and Nature Preserve. Sunday morning, in the dark, deputies were joined by Springfield Police and Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) troopers while looking, unsuccessfully, for a man who ran from a deputy trying to pull him over. Brennen Kumbusky said he found the victim hours later, around 7:30 a.m. 'Ended up hearing this guy yelling, 'Help!' And I was like,' Do you need medical?'' Kumbusky said. TRENDING STORIES: Delta to discontinue longtime non-stop route from Dayton; New flight to replace Bodies of 3 missing sisters found after visit with their father Escaped zebra remains at large after 'wreaking havoc' on busy interstate The man he found lying at the bottom of a cliff didn't want him to call 911 despite having injuries all over his body, including a compound fracture in his leg. 'So he was there for a couple hours, and I don't know if it was just adrenaline that was keeping him going, but a compound fracture,' he described. Kumbusky told News Center 7 that he later learned about everything else that happened. Sheriff's deputies said a vehicle that drove away from one of their deputies was spotted near the park. They asked for help searching, and an OSHP aviation unit spotted a man running down railroad tracks. That same unit then called firefighters after spotting a fire in the woods. They found an abandoned boat that had been set on fire. Its burned-out remains were spotted by News Center 7 on Tuesday. 'Our crews chose to stay away and not enter the area because of the risk of whoever the suspect was, whatever their reason for being there was,' Springfield Fire Chief Jacob King said. As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, King said the aviation unit called the area safe and clear of people about an hour later. Then, firefighters headed back there carrying extinguishers to douse the flames. 'But none of our apparatus will fit down there,' King explained. 'It's a significantly long distance to walk as well.' Everyone agrees on one thing: the man is lucky to survive. 'When I came up on him, he was freezing,' Kumbusky said. Sheriff's Office investigators that News Center 7 spoke with on Tuesday admitted that now, even 48 hours after the incident, they can't say for sure that the injured man in the hospital is the same person who drove away from the deputy. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Atlanta ‘tops cities' with most debt collection calls in US
A recent study on debt collection calls across the United States said Atlanta is at the top of the list. According to the report by NumberBarn, which analyzed new data from the Federal Trade Commission on debt collection calls, Atlanta was ranked No. 1 among major U.S. metros. In 2025, Atlanta residents have already reported 6,446 debt collection complaints to the FTC. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] NumberBarn said that was due to 104 of every 100,000 people getting debt collection calls. 'That's more than any other major metropolitan area in the country,' NumberBarn said. TRENDING STORIES: Squatters leave DeKalb County home days after Channel 2 Action News confronted them Amazon opening sorting center in west Georgia, bringing 1,000 jobs Governor's office said it will start issuing special tax refund checks this week The company's analysis of more than one million FTC complaints found that there's been a 'sharp national spike' in complaint calls, which it said is a reflection of national trends for rising consumer debt and financial stress. State-by-state, "Georgia leads the nation in debt collection calls per capita, with 80.8 reports per 100,000 residents in Q1 2025." The report said Georgia as a state reported 8,754 debt collection calls, meaning Atlanta accounted for nearly 74% of all reported calls in the state. NumberBarn said Atlanta highest for per capita debt collection call reports, followed by Dallas, Miami, Houston, and Memphis. As for specifics, here's how NumberBarn broke it down for Atlanta and Georgia: Atlanta ranks No. 1 for debt collection calls per 100,000 people The average Georgian has $60,440 in debt Debt collection calls were up more than 150% compared to 2024 Millennials were the most likely to report debt collection calls [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
