CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – Two Camden County deputies accused of assaulting a bride and groom on their wedding day in 2015 have returned to duty.
Daniel O'Neal and Thomas McGraw pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges relating to the incident and were terminated, according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office.
But the two have since been rehired.
The groom, Robert Hogan, told News4Jax by phone on Wednesday that he is furious the deputies are back on duty.
"I think it's ludicrous," said Hogan, who is currently serving in the military and is stationed in Cuba with his wife. "I think everybody that supports that idea has no clue what these people have done, what they’re capable of.”
Hogan said knowing the two men have been rehired as deputies is like reliving a nightmare. He said he and his wife, Khythrene, had a beautiful ceremony in August 2015 when O’Neal and McGraw showed up uninvited, crashed their wedding and assaulted them after their reception.
"I don’t know that I could go back to Camden County and live, even though I own a house there," said Hogan, who has lived in Camden County for decades. "I don’t think I could go back and live because of all of this.”
Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor sent News4Jax a statement on Wednesday, saying his decision to rehire O'Neal and McGraw was based on past job performance, and his belief that they had fulfilled all obligations passed on to them by the court system and that they deserved to be given a chance.
“I don’t know how anybody who pleaded guilty or pleaded to lesser charges for two counts of felonies that the Georgia State would give them their certification back," Hogan said.
During the 2015 incident, Hogan said, he suffered a broken foot, and bruised kidney and prostate. He said his wife had severe bruising after they were attacked following their wedding reception.
Below is the full statement from Proctor on rehiring O'Neal and McGraw:
Daniel O'Neal and Thomas McGraw pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges relating to an incident in Woodbine in August of 2015. They were placed on misdemeanor probation and required to pay restitution as conditions of their probation. They have both paid their required restitution and the probation has been terminated. Once this was done, the Georgia Peace Officer's Standards and Training Council ({POST) re-instated their peace officer certifications making them eligible for rehire. My decision to rehire these two men was based on past job performance, and my belief that they had fulfilled all obligations passed on to them by the court system willingly and they deserved to be given a second chance at furthering their law enforcement careers. They have been required to complete training with a Field Training Officer prior to returning to full patrol duties, and have been placed on a one year probation with our agency."