(ATLANTA, Ga.) — A Fulton County deputy says he’s being used as a scapegoat after he was forced to resign after the family of an inmate says their loved one was eaten alive by bed bugs inside the Fulton County Jail.

Former Chief Jailer Col. John Jackson was one of three deputies being blamed for recent jail deaths and now he says he’s speaking out to help clear his name.

“I was the face of the jail and I stood for something. And if I made a good name, my name means something. My character means something,” Jackson told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln in an exclusive interview Monday.

Jackson is one of three former Fulton County sheriff’s deputies who were forced to resign after Sheriff Patrick Labat said he questioned his executive leadership regarding the death of inmate Lashawn Thompson who died in September 2022.

“I wasn’t happy with the response,” Labat told WSB-TV. “I am going to hold people accountable.”

“There are a lot of broken pieces at that jail,” Jackson said.

©2023 Cox Media Group