Inset: Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy Martin Simmons (HCSO). Background: Apartment complex on Harwood Road in Flowery Branch, Georgia, where Simmons allegedly assaulted a 4-year-old (Google Maps).
A Georgia deputy allegedly slapped a 4-year-old so hard that other children heard it in the next room over when the boy refused to go to sleep.
Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy Martin Simmons, 46, stands accused of family violence battery and child cruelty.
The Oakwood Police Department began investigating the matter after receiving a child abuse complaint from the Department of Family and Child Services.
The alleged abuse happened Sept. 9 at an apartment on Harwood Road in Flowery Branch, about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime. Other people allegedly heard Simmons hitting the victim "through the walls," the complaint said. Another adult tried to enter the room, but Simmons would not let her, cops wrote.
A child opened the door and Simmons started yelling at her, the affidavit stated. The other adult stood between Simmons and the other children.
Police told AccessNorthGa.com that Simmons was trying to put the 4-year-old to bed but the boy started crying because he did not want to sleep. The other people in the home heard the alleged slap from the closed bedroom.
Simmons allegedly left a "significant mark" in the shape of a hand on the child's face. Bruising appeared the next day, police said.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office fired Simmons on Oct. 14 after an arrest warrant was issued. He had recently been promoted to investigator and was still training for the job when he was fired.
He joined the agency as a jailer in July 2023. He graduated from the police academy about a year later and joined the patrol division.
Simmons was arrested and taken to the Hall County Jail, where he has since bonded out. His next court date is not listed.
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