A Dade County sheriff's deputy allegedly left bruises on the arms of an 82-year-old man after the two had a dispute about a shared property line that turned physical, leaving the older man in handcuffs.
On Feb. 21, James Craig was on his property line in Dade County with the intention of putting up flags for markers that separated his property from that of Deputy Chris Gravitt. Craig and his wife, Carolyn, live in Chattanooga, but Carolyn has owned the property on Lookout Mountain for more than 25 years.
In a dashcam video from that afternoon obtained by the Times Free Press, Deputy Gravitt pulled up behind Craig's red pickup truck as Craig placed markers on the side of a gravel road. Gravitt was on duty at the time but stopped by his home for lunch.
The two immediately got into an argument, and Gravitt, who stands at 5 feet, 10 inches and 260 pounds, could be seen on video aggressively pointing at the 82-year-old Craig and toward the fence that separates the property. Craig is about 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs between 165 and 170 pounds, according to Carolyn Craig.
"You know why no one likes you over here? Because you're full of s-t," Gravitt said. "And it's getting around."
Craig started to argue back about having the right spot for the property line, but his audio can't be clearly heard from Gravitt's dashcam. Gravitt then called his superior, Sgt. Jeff Hartline, who was just starting his shift.
Gravitt told Craig at least three times to stay in his truck while the two waited for Hartline.
Gravitt then got in his patrol car and called his wife to tell her what was happening. While he was on the phone with his wife, Craig started to approach Gravitt's driver's side window. Gravitt then yelled again at Craig to stay in his vehicle.
"I'm not going to tell you again," Gravitt said.
Craig continued to talk to Gravitt with the window rolled up, and Gravitt then got out of his patrol car and forced Craig onto the hood of the patrol car to handcuff the older man. Craig was seen resisting at first and said, "Wait a minute," while Gravitt got his handcuffs out.
In the video, Gravitt checked Craig's pockets before telling Craig to sit in the back of the patrol car, but never told him he was under arrest.
Craig told Gravitt after he'd been cuffed that his wrists "hurt like hell." Gravitt loosened one of the cuffs and later told Craig, 'You're getting real close to going to jail," as the two argued over where the property line was and what intentions Craig had by going over to the property while Gravitt was on duty.
Nearly 40 minutes after Gravitt first approached Craig, Sgt. Hartline arrived and told Craig the two would have to settle the issue in civil court, or one of the neighbors would have to hire a surveyor. Gravitt said in the video a few times that he had plans to hire a surveyor to determine where exactly the property line is.
Photo contributed by Carolyn Craig / James Craig's brusies after being detained by Dade County Sheriff Deputy Chris Gravitt.James and Carolyn Craig filed an official complaint against Gravitt and the Dade County Sheriff's Office about the incident, saying that Gravitt used excessive force. Maj. Barry Irwin with the Dade County Sheriff's Office told the Times Free Press the department reached out to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to see if this would warrant a state-run investigation. Irwin said it did not, and after an internal investigation, no fault was found.
"He was acting as a police officer and a property owner," Carolyn said. "When the other deputy came up there, he told me and he told James, 'We can't get into this at all. This is between homeowners, we can't take any action.' I don't think Gravitt had the right to hold James there."
After the altercation, Craig had serious bruises on his hands, wrists and arms and bled on his shirt.
A week before the altercation, Craig had been in the hospital for a week so his physical state wasn't the best to begin with, Carolyn Craig said.
She said she's still disappointed and frustrated about the altercation and doesn't believe Gravitt was acting professionally.
Where James and Carolyn see the incident as an abuse of power from a law enforcement agent, Maj. Irwin and the Dade County Sheriff's Office see it as an officer safety matter.
"He was on duty, so it's kind of a tough spot because he's a deputy with the county but he's also a property owner and a citizen and a taxpayer," Irwin said. "When it started, it was contentious, and it was also very personal."
Irwin said the moment Craig started to approach the patrol car after being told to stay near his vehicle, Gravitt felt threatened.
"Any officer will tell you if there's a possible dangerous situation, you do not want to be stuck in your vehicle," Irwin said. "He got out of the vehicle. He said, 'All right, that's it. You don't want to stay over there, then I'm going to handcuff you for my safety.' Because you don't know who has what these days."
Photo contributed by Carolyn Craig / James Craig's brusies after being detained by Dade County Sheriff Deputy Chris Gravitt.Irwin said that part of the reason Craig bruised was because he resisted being handcuffed, which caused additional pressure and irritation from the metal cuffs.
"I did not see where he went anywhere outside of what would be reasonable," Irwin said. "Mr. Gravitt is a tough guy, but at no point was he meaning to harm Mr. Craig."
Kevin Robinson, a lecturer at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, reviewed the incident report for the Times Free Press. Robinson, who worked in the Phoenix Police Department for over 35 years and rose to the rank of assistant police chief, said in any instance in which an officer is personally involved, "especially on duty, you back away from it."
Robinson said Gravitt did all that he could do when calling for his supervisor and trying to wait it out.
"Obviously he knows this guy, and handcuffing him and all that, I think it comes down to a judgment issue personally," Robinson said. "Do you really feel threatened? I cannot put words in the deputy's mouth. It's a hard situation. He gets involved in a civil matter that he has personal stake in. I just think sometimes discretion is the better part of valor."
Robinson was also the chair for the disciplinary review board for the Phoenix Police Department for over a dozen years. He understands Gravitt's point of view and is familiar with cases like this, but added that "officer safety, quite honestly, is an easy fallback."
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.