{"id":48782,"date":"2021-08-24T16:17:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T16:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/24\/drill-sergeant-found-guilty-of-assault-after-shoving-black-man-in-viral-video\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:04:21","slug":"drill-sergeant-found-guilty-of-assault-after-shoving-black-man-in-viral-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/08\/24\/drill-sergeant-found-guilty-of-assault-after-shoving-black-man-in-viral-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Drill sergeant found guilty of assault after shoving Black man in viral video"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A suspended Fort Jackson, South Carolina, drill sergeant was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery Monday following a two-day bench trial, according to local media reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Pentland shoved and pursued a Black man<\/a> through his Columbia, South Carolina, neighborhood in a viral video this April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentland must either serve 30 days in jail or pay a $1,087, according to the Post and Courier<\/a>. The sentence was imposed by local magistrate judge Diedra Wilson Hightower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the viral video, Pentland can be heard saying, \u201cYou either walk away or I\u2019m going to carry your ass out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued to follow the Black man \u2014 later identified as Deandre Williams \u2014 down the sidewalk, adding, \u201cLet\u2019s go, walk away. I\u2019m about to do something to you. You better start walking right now\u2026 you\u2019re in the wrong neighborhood motherfucker. Get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former commanding general of Fort Jackson, now-Maj. Gen. Milford Beagle, opted not to pursue UCMJ action or administrative action<\/a> beyond suspending Pentland, instead deferring to the civilian justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I have the authority to take action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or take other administrative actions, I have the utmost confidence in our civilian criminal system and trust that it will reach a fair and just resolution of this case,\u201d Beagle said in an April statement. \u201cI do not want to take any actions now that could interfere with the fair resolution of civilian criminal charges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online commenters argued that Pentland\u2019s remarks and actions were racist \u2014 a characterization that he denied during the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to reiterate that the command in no way condones the behaviors and actions depicted,\u201d Beagle said in April regarding the allegations of racial animus. \u201cThose behaviors are absolutely counter to the Army Values and professionalism expected of soldiers, both on and off duty. Your Army is committed to confronting racism, extremism, and corrosive behaviors, but I must remain mindful of protecting due process in both the civil and military jurisdictions as this proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trial<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentland and his attorney argued that Williams, the victim, was posing a threat to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI stand by what I did,\u201d said the suspended drill sergeant from the witness stand, according to the Post & Courier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Pentland\u2019s neighbors testified that Williams was acting erratically towards women in the neighborhood, leading her to pound on his door and ask for help, according to the Post and Courier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But The State reported tearful testimony<\/a> from Williams\u2019 father revealing that the victim, who is shorter and weighs around a hundred pounds less than Pentland, had suffered brain damage during a bout with lymphoma \u2014 a type of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t quite understand things as we would,\u201d said his father, according to the Post and Courier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police officials testified saying that regardless of the reason, Pentland came outside to confront Williams and was caught on camera assaulting him, both local newspapers reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person who was in the courtroom throughout the trial spoke with Army Times on background, saying Pentland\u2019s demeanor throughout the trial was \u201cstoic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not immediately clear whether Pentland plans to appeal his conviction or sentence, and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent through his legal assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentland ultimately apologized for the impact of his actions, according to the Post and Courier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing to the community, I\u2019m sorry for the way it escalated, anybody looking back at this, you can watch that video and 100 percent see that it looks worse than it is,\u201d Pentland said. \u201cI did what I felt I had to do to protect my friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not clear whether Army officials will immediately pursue additional action against Pentland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When reached by Army Times via phone, Fort Jackson spokesperson L.A. Sully indicated that officials will wait for Pentland to exhaust all of his civilian appeals \u2014 if he appeals \u2014 before considering any administrative or UCMJ action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis is reviewing his options in the matter of Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Pentland,\u201d Sully said. \u201cWe will provide more information when a decision about how to proceed is made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drill sergeant remains suspended from his duty position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military Times senior editor Sarah Sicard contributed reporting to this article.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This article has been updated with an additional statement from Army officials.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I went for a walk yesterday evening and I encountered a young man (Deandre)in distress. I decided to record the incident in order to protect this black man from possibly becoming a statistic pic.twitter.com\/fdgfAmc6zb<\/a><\/p>— Shadae (@ShadaeMccallum) April 14, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>