Fort Jackson says that Jonathan Pentland has been suspended from instructor duties at the facility, according to a post on the fort’s official Facebook page.
Pentland, Sgt. 1st class in the Army, is suspended from his duties pending the outcome of an investigation of charges of assault against Pentland.
The charges stem from an incident in which Pentland was caught on camera in a confrontation with another man in his neighborhood.
Fort Jackson Commander Brigadier General Milford Beagle Jr. released a statement on the decision to suspend Pentland from his duties.
“Soldier conduct on and off duty must be exemplary to retain the trust of our communities and our nation…Fort Jackson continues to work with and support Sheriff Lott, our local law enforcement professionals, and community & civil leadership as this case moves forward.”
As this matter moves forward it is important to know that the young man in the video had 2 Police Reports filed on him during this incident (listed below as Report 1 and Report 2) by other residents of the neighborhood.
Mainstream media has turned this incident into a racial issue. Let us also not forget that the Pentland Home was vandalized by individuals after the Sargent’s arrest with children being in the home and the Family had to be relocated to a safe location.
Report 1:
Report 2:
There is no dispute that Sargent Pentland could and perhaps should have handled himself differently. But it is important to acknowledge that at no point in this incident did Pentland refer to the young man using any racial or derogatory terms. It is also important to acknowledge that this video was not given to Law Enforcement at the time but was uploaded to Youtube first. And that individuals went straight to violent acts against his family and their residents.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.