COLUMBIA, S.C. — In what has been called a final statement in the case, Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Patrick Michaelis says "appropriate action" has been taken in response to the conduct of Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Pentland.
Pentland was found guilty of third degree assault in Richland County Court on August 23, 2021, for his part in a shoving incident that occurred in The Summit neighborhood, a series of connected communities in northeast Richland County. Pentland was ordered to pay a fine of just over $1,000 or face 30 days in jail.
In the statement issued on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, Michaelis wrote, "The Richland County trial is complete. We are the nation's Army and we continue to value and strengthen our shared trust with our local communities. Soldiers are trained to conduct themselves in a respectful manner and adhere to the Army values. They are also held accountable when they do not."
Pentland will be transferred to a new assignment at an unnamed duty station.
The situation stemmed from an incident that happened in the Summit neighborhood in northeast Richland County back on April 12, 2021. A portion of the video was captured on a cell phone and then shared across the community and the country on social media. It even led to protests in the neighborhood as some in the community called for justice in the case.
The cell phone video showed a man, identified by law enforcement as Pentland, having a confrontation with a young man walking in the neighborhood in Columbia near Pentland's home. Officers said Pentland could be heard yelling "walk away," "I'm about to do something to you," and "you're in the wrong neighborhood," to the victim.
During the two day trial, the judge in the case heard from Pentland, the victim, Pentland's wife, and other neighbors and witnesses. The video and others from that day were played multiple times in court.