CCSO jailer arrested in alleged inmate fight setup

Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen said he arrested a corrections officer for allegedly orchestrating an attack on an inmate.

Sean William Hollinshead, 34, of Lithonia, was booked into the Clayton County Jail at 8:10 p.m. Thursday, online jail records show.

Hollinshead has been a corrections officer since at at least 2011, according to openpayrolls.com. He came to the Clayton County Jail in 2021.

From 2011 to 2014, Hollinshead worked for the State of Georgia as a correction officer. In 2015, he was a detention officer 1 for Dekalb County. No salary information was listed for 2016 through 2019. In 2020, Hollinshead went back to the state as a correctional officer 2. In 2021, he came to CCSO as a sheriff correctional officer.

We’ve asked Allen for more information about the alleged incident and the other parties involved and will update with any response. We’ve also asked Georgia POST for Hollinshead’s training record.

In a Nixle post at 9:48 p.m. Thursday, Allen wrote:

Moments ago I gave the order to Terminate and Arrest one of our own at the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff’s Correctional Officer SEAN WILLIAM HOLLINSHEAD planned and orchestrated the vicious attack of an inmate in his custody that he was sworn to protect.

Inmate Hollinshead committed the offense of Criminal Negligence & Violation of his Oath when he knowingly, recklessly, and without disregard for the safety of the inmate placed him in a high-risk housing unit, causing the inmate to receive life-threatening injuries and did not render aid as the beating and stabbing was taken place. 

Let me be Crystal Clear, I locked up one of my own tonight and will continue to surgically remove any officers or deputies from my rank and file that places Citizens, Inmates, or Employees at risk.

In addition to Inmate Hollinshead, the other inmates involved received additional charges.

Although Allen did not say who else was involved in the incident, jail records show another man was charged Thursday afternoon with riot in a penal institution, aggravated assault, and party to a commission of a crime. We’re working to confirm whether those charges are related to those against Hollinshead.

Online court records show Hollinshead is set to appear before Judge John Parker in Magistrate Court at 10 a.m. Friday morning on one count of criminal neglect and one count of public officer violation of oath. That hearing likely will take place over videoconference.

The case numbers are 2023CW70042 JT and 2023CW70043 JT.

The Clayton Crescent reported Wednesday that a detainee at the jail, Nigel Perkins, allegedly was moved into a more dangerous housing area, which his aunt said seemed to be in retaliation for having complained about the food and lack of phone access.

“Part of that is what I’ve heard but I’m not for sure of what happened,” Shantill Perkins said. “But I do know that he was placed in housing and he wasn’t supposed to be in that section. And he told the officer that he feared for his life in that area and he still placed him over there.” She said she thought Perkins had been transferred “because he had complained about not being fed properly, not having access to the phone, and I’m guessing that’s why they transferred him over into that area.” 

We’ve asked Allen to clarify whether the alleged victim in the Hollingshead case is Perkins.