CHATSWORTH, Ga. — A retired law enforcement officer has filed a civil lawsuit against Murray County Sheriff Gary Langford and Deputy Justin McEntire, accusing Langford of obstruction of justice and McEntire of seven crimes, including simple assault, and of violating his civil rights.

In the lawsuit filed in Superior Court, former Murray County deputy and Chatsworth Police Department officer Jerry R. Long calls for Langford to be removed from office and a monetary judgment “determined by the court.”

“I’ve tried to get the sheriff and them to resolve the situation and they refused to hear me,” Long said in an interview. “All Gary and the deputy had to do was apologize to me face-to-face and we wouldn’t be going through this. I am having to take the law into my own hands.”

Long said his complaints against McEntire date to July 27, 2015, when deputies responded to an altercation between two renters at Long’s trailer park on Spring Place Smyrna Road. Long isn’t mentioned in the incident report, but he said he drove his golf cart from his house to see what was going on.

“I seen the sheriff’s cars down there so I went up there,” Long said. “They had a suspect on the ground and they were just standing around. I was kind of on the edge of it and I made the statement that I was going to the house while they stand there and think about what to do.”

Long said after he made the comment, McEntire told him to stop and “was hollering and screaming at me.” Long said McEntire had his face in Long’s face under the top of the golf cart and “tried to head butt me.”

“I couldn’t get a word in to him, he was hollering and screaming so much,” Long said. “He made a second lunge at me to try to head butt me again. When he got done raising Cain, he said, ‘You can call Gary and tell him if you want to.’”

Messages for Langford were not immediately returned on Thursday. McEntire was out of the office this week and could not be reached for comment.

According to Chief Deputy Jimmy Davenport, the lawsuit has been forwarded to the county’s liability insurance holder, Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). Davenport said ACCG will handle legal representation for the county in the matter. Calls to ACCG’s communications department were not returned on Wednesday or Thursday. 

In the lawsuit, Long accuses McEntire of conduct unbecoming of an officer, civil rights violation (freedom of speech), illegal detainment, simple assault, criminal attempt to commit a crime, violation of oath by a public officer, tampering with evidence and disorderly conduct. Long said McEntire tampered with evidence by not having his body camera on at the time of the incident. Long said Langford obstructed justice by failing “to properly investigate” his claims.

“Therefore, by the sheriff not doing his job as a public servant and hold to a higher standard Sheriff Langford is guilty by using unprofessional methods by using oppression or tyrannical partiality in the administration or under the color of his office and using any other deliberate means to delay or avoid the due course or proceeding of law,” Long wrote in the lawsuit.

Long, 72, was a deputy under then-Sheriff Howard Ensley before retiring in 1995 after serving 18 years combined with the sheriff’s office, the Chatsworth Police Department and the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office. He said he had two witnesses, but declined to name them and they are not mentioned in the lawsuit. He said McEntire’s conduct was a direct reflection on Langford.

“When you are incompetent, your men are going to be incompetent,” Long said of Langford.

Although he is not named as a defendant, District Attorney Bert Poston also drew the ire of Long in the lawsuit, with Long writing that Poston had not responded to his concerns.

“I have sent Mr. Posten several letters, asking for a reply,” Long wrote. “He has not replied to me verbally or by letter. It certainly appears that Mr. Posten is trying to protect the sheriff by not doing anything.”

Davenport said all evidence in the matter was turned over to Poston last year when Davenport took over as chief deputy.

In an email to the Daily Citizen-News, Poston said he has reviewed the incident. 

“Mr. Long has contacted me several times with complaints about the sheriff, and I’ve tried to assist him,” Poston wrote. “I’m currently reviewing some information Mr. Long asked me to look at, but I’ve yet to see anything that would amount to misconduct on the part of the sheriff or any of his employees.”

Dating back to 2012, Long has been involved in some way with at least 12 incident reports involving the Murray County Sheriff’s Office, including several complaints by Long of noisy motorcycles and incidents on Long’s property at the trailer park. In none of those incidents was Long charged with a crime. He was often a witness or a complainant. 

According to Clerk of Courts Donna Flood, the lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Jim Wilbanks. She said her office is waiting for a response to the lawsuit from ACCG, at which time an initial hearing date will be set.