Joe and Natasha Peppers accused the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, specifically Lieutenant Jason Lowe and Corrections Officers Martin, Draper, Cornett, Garmin, and Richards, of beating their son to death.
From the Peppers' lawsuit:
“14. On April 29, 2013, Peppers was being housed, alone in a single cell, at which point, Peppers had become incensed and began shouting obscenities at the jail personnel that were present and on duty.
"15. At the point that Peppers was shouting obscenities at the jail personnel, Defendant Lowe, accompanied by Defendants Martin, Draper, Cornett, Garmin, and Richards entered the cell occupied by the Peppers and began to beat Peppers.
"16. After the initial beating, Peppers was placed in and strapped to a restraint chair that prevented Peppers from being able to move, at which point, Defendant Lowe continued to beat Peppers, by striking him repeatedly in the face with his fists.
"17. Over the course of the beating, chemical spray and electrical tasers were implemented and used. The duration of this incident continued for approximately twenty minutes.
"18. At the conclusion of the beating, the Defendants laid Peppers on the floor and began to perform CPR that appeared to be unsuccessful. At which point, the Defendants called the Nurse, who in turned called for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
"19. Prior to the arrival of the EMTs, the Defendants gathered together in a “huddle” in an attempt to review the events immediately preceding the call for EMTs. During the Defendants review of the events, laughter was heard coming from the Defendants.
"20. Upon information and belief, a video recording of this incident was captured by in house video surveillance system. The aforementioned video is or was in the custody and control of the Defendant Washington County, Tennessee and may have been seized by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation during the course of their investigation.
"21. Plaintiffs aver that their son died as a result of the injuries inflicted by Defendants Lowe, Martin, Draper, Cornett, Garmin, and Richards. An autopsy on the Plaintiffs’ decedent (Peppers) has or is currently being conducted. The results of said autopsy are currently unavailable.
"22. Plaintiffs aver that course of conduct engaged in by the individual Defendants, is commonly practiced at the Washington County Jail in that the inmates that are housed at this facility are routinely beaten by corrections officers that work for the Washington County Sheriff’s Department."
