By Carol Robinson
al.com
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. — A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy was taken hostage by an inmate in the downtown county jail, handcuffed and covered with a blanket, according to official reports.
The deputy had a Taser stun gun pointed at his head throughout the roughly 30-minute incident that began about 1:30 p.m. Monday.
A Code Blue alert was issued once the kidnapping was discovered, and the deputy was ultimately rescued. Those alerts indicate a suspect poses an immediate threat to a law enforcement officer.
Reontay Harley is a 33-year-old Birmingham man with a criminal history dating back to 2008, including arrests for attempted murder, robbery and attempted bribery of a public servant.
Jailed since June, he is now charged with kidnapping and menacing in Monday’s attack.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has not commented on the incident.
According to reports obtained by AL.com, the deputy said he was delivering lunch trays when he was overtaken by Harley and pulled inside the cell.
The deputy said he was wrestled to the ground by Harley.
The reports state Harley took the handcuffs off the deputy’s gun belt and bound the deputy’s hands behind his back while covering his head with blanket.
The deputy told investigators that after he was handcuffed, Harley removed his Taser X10 from his gun belt and held it to the deputy’s head.
Harley told the deputy, “I’m not going to hurt you. This is not for you. It’s for them. They haven’t been treating me right.”
Another deputy learned what was happening from an inmate who said something was going down in the male holding cell area.
That deputy noticed Harley’s cell door was open. When the second deputy looked inside, he saw Harley was pointing the Taser at him and holding the other deputy hostage.
The second deputy said he closed the cell door to avoid being hit with the stun gun and used his radio to notify others of the Code Blue.
All deputies were put on standby while the jail’s Emergency Response Team geared up.
A jail lieutenant tried communicating with Harley, but Harley repeatedly threatened to harm the deputy being held hostage if anyone entered the cell.
“If y’all come in here, I’m going to shoot him in the head five times,’’ Harley threatened. “Y’all know he’s old. He can’t take all them shots to the head,’’ he said of the hostage deputy.
Harley then said, “Man, just bring me my judge.”
After all negotiation attempts failed, deputies rushed the cell and rescued the deputy. As they did so, Harley deployed the stun gun, striking one of the responding deputies in the forearm.
The hostage deputy, the deputy hit with the Taser and Harley were all checked out by jail medical staff.
Harley is set to go to trial next month on charges of robbery, attempted murder and arson. He was indicted on those charges in 2018.
He pleaded guilty in 2009 to robbery.
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