Investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation recently arrested an area police chief and one of his officers. Accused of theft by extortion, false imprisonment and violating their oaths as pubic officers, both are still being held in police custody. It is not yet clear if they will be able to post bond.
The GBI first initiated the investigation in October 2015, although the instances related to the allegations apparently to place from December 2011 to April 2015. Investigators believe that the two men might have been involved in false arrests that they then leveraged into collecting money. It is not clear if authorities suspect the two might have had a pattern related to who they allegedly arrested and for what.
One of the instances that investigators cited was a 2012 felony account deposit fraud. Investigators claim that the woman had not actually committed any crime, and, at the time, she was told that she could accept a citation, pay $1,000 in fines and avoid the felony charge. A 2015 arrest apparently involved the same tactic. After an arrest warrant was put out for a different woman on allegations of cruelty to children, her husband was told that she could pay a $1,000 and receive a disorderly conduct citation, the same citation involved in the earlier arrest.
Serious charges for theft, such as these, often have potentially severe consequences. Aside from time in jail and, in some instances, steep fines, a criminal record can completely eliminate some employment and education opportunities for many people. Because of their potential lifelong impacts, most defendants in Georgia are well advised to begin prepping their defense strategies in as timely manners as possible.
Source: CBS News, “Georgia police chief, officer arrested on false imprisonment charges“, March 2, 2016
