Frederick Ogletree swore an oath to serve without partiality or malice. Prosecutors say he broke it by choking, tasing, and punching a woman in his custody, then smiling as he locked her in a cell.
Ogletree, a former Bibb County jail deputy, pleaded guilty on August 17, 2026 just before his trial was to begin, in a non-negotiated plea to aggravated assault, violation of oath by a public officer, battery, and cruelty to an inmate. The charges stemmed from the May 26, 2023, assault of a female inmate at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center on Oglethorpe Street in Macon. A judge sentenced Ogletree to 20 years, with the first 10 to serve, after prosecutors had asked for 40 years, with 20 to serve.
According to prosecutors, Ogletree and a fellow deputy were escorting the woman to a court appearance when they ordered her to remove a religious head covering. When she protested and pointed at the other officer, he struck her, and both deputies joined in, choking, punching, and repeatedly tasing her before forcing her to the ground, kicking her in the head, and throwing her into a housing dorm.
Minutes later, the deputies returned wearing gloves reinforced with hard knuckles, pulled her back out, and punched her head and body again. They dragged her by the collar to another block, struck her head with her own fallen shoe, and locked her in a cell as Ogletree smiled and gestured.
As part of his sentence, Ogletree is barred from contacting the woman, permanently barred from working in law enforcement, security, or any role responsible for protecting people or property and he can’t possess firearms. Ogletree’s co-defendant, who was scheduled to go to trial with him on Monday, did not plea. That trial was halted just prior to the jury being sworn in, due to an issue involving alleged improper communication by a juror.
“Frederick Ogletree took an oath to protect the people in his custody, and instead he beat a defenseless woman, tased her, and smiled about it afterward,” said Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard. “We asked the court for a sentence that reflected the brutality of what he did. This conviction permanently ends his career in law enforcement and holds him accountable. Our fight for justice for this woman is not over. We remain fully committed to prosecuting the other officer for his actions.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Jeremy B. Johnson.
