Newspaper Page Text
Page 8— Wednesday, January 3, 2024, The True Citizen
^FOR THE RECORD
Sheriff says phony cop is no threat
Aaron Stewart
SRT trainer files appeal for wrongful termination
BURKE EMA REPORT
The Burke County Emergency Management Agency
responded to 197 patients’ calls in the two-week period
ending Dec. 31. Of those, 145 resulted in transports,
including 78 to Augusta hospitals and three to other out-
of-county hospitals. Sixty six of the transports were de
termined to be emergencies and 79 were non-emergent.
The agency also answered 35 lire calls during the
period. They included three brush/grass fires, three fire/
smoke alarms, 18 rescues, eight public service calls, one
vehicle fire, one smoke scare and one unspecified call.
Sheriff upholds
PIO’s termination
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams
said an armed man impersonat
ing a law enforcement officer is
not a threat to the community.
A 37-year-old Waynesboro
resident reported to deputies
that she passed Aaron Stew
art’s GMC truck December
12 on Hwy 56 South. After
the female driver passed him,
Stewart sped up behind the
woman and activated flashing
blue and white lights. She said
the incident scared her since
she did not believe Stewart was
a certified police officer.
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
According to a December 27
letter, Attorney Chad Medlin
has been retained by Southern
States Police Benevolent Asso
ciation (SSPBBA) to represent
Sgt. Allen Scott Usry in the
appeals process stemming from
a December 12 wrongful termi
nation from the Burke County
Sheriff’s Office. SSPBBA is
composed of more than 65,000
law enforcement officers. The
association, funded by mem
bership dues, provides legal,
disciplinary and other repre
sentation to its members.
In December 2022, Sheriff
Williams referred to Usry as
one of the best trainers in the
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Burke County Sheriffs
Office Special Response Team
(SRT) executed a search war
rant at a residence on Penn
Upon inspection of Stewart’s
GMC, deputies discovered it
was equipped with flashing
lights and a working siren.
Stewart, 20, was arrested and
charged with impersonating
a law enforcement officer and
possessing a firearm during the
commission of a crime. Ac
cording to the incident report,
Stewart lives in Hephzibah.
Sheriff Williams filled in for
radio talk show host Austin
Rhodes December 21 and ad
dressed the incident over the
air after a person called in ask
ing for information. Williams
emphasized Stewart was from
a “good” and “responsible”
country, but just one year later
fired him for falsifying train
ing records. Williams wrote
December 12 that it came to
his attention that Usry created a
Google Classroom and invited
certain students to take classes
and then awarded training
credits. However, the training
didn’t meet Peace Officers and
Standards Training Council
(POST) standards.
However, also on December
12, the City of Wrens Police
Department reached out to
POST to ensure that online
training their officers received
met industry standards.
“Some of my officers re
ceived training from a POST
instructor, online using Google
Classroom,” wrote Assistant
Street in Waynesboro Thurs
day, December 14 for Rontavi-
ous Lavonte Cooper.
Upon arrival, the SRT
knocked before entering Coo
per’s residence. Afterward,
they found him in a bedroom.
family and has a lot of church
support.
“He did a really silly thing,”
the sheriff said and mentioned
“people” who were pulled
over by Stewart, suggesting
the 37-year-old woman was
not the only one. “You have
no need to be concerned about
him or his actions. The right
eyes, the right people, the right
family members and the right
church folk are going to make
sure he is on the straight and
narrow and that he is held ac
countable and gets the help he
needs to return himself to being
a productive person.”
Police Chief P.J. Hambrick.
“This training was entered into
POST where they received
training hours. I wanted to con
firm that this training format is
acceptable.”
Hambrick reached out to
POST again December 21.
“I wanted to confirm that the
use of Google Classroom is
accepted by POST to deliver
training to officers so long (as)
the training meets POST stan
dards,” he inquired.
Both inquiries received re
sponses from the Help Desk
that online Google Classroom
training is accepted by POST.
Medlin has requested an ap
peal hearing, but also stated he
welcomes informal discussions
and negotiations for purposes
The following items were
located inside the residence:
Four 1-Pint Promethazine with
Codeine Oral Solutions, 180
grams of marijuana and $553.
Cooper was charged with
two counts of violating the
Sgt. Allen Scott Usry
of potentially reaching a reso
lution that would be agreeable
to all parties involved.
Georgia Controlled Substance
Act, including possession of
a controlled substance with
intent to distribute and posses
sion of marijuana with intent
to distribute.
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Former Public Information
Officer Clarissa Allen will not
regain her position at the Burke
County Sheriff’s Office after
submitting a letter of appeal
and attending an online appeal
hearing.
Allen submitted a letter to
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams De
cember 13, just one day after
she was terminated from the
agency’s public information
officer position. In the letter,
she admitted she may not have
behaved in the “most collabor
ative and understanding man
ner” prior to the termination.
“I can be territorial and hard
to listen at times,” she said. “I
must admit that worrying about
someone else completing my
job responsibilities caused me
to perform my own responsi
bilities less than stellar.”
Allen claimed she learned
the errors of her ways and if
reinstated vowed to work on
her professional attitude. How
ever, after an hour-long online
appeal hearing December 18
Clarissa Allen
in which she was allowed to
present facts, information,
and relevant evidence, Sheriff
Williams decided to uphold the
termination.
In a December 28 letter,
the Sheriff informed Allen of
his decision and stated that
he appreciated the time and
expertise she afforded the
BCSO during her tenure and
wished her the best in future
endeavors.
SRT executes narcotics search warrant
BURKE COUNTY JAIL BOOKING DEC. 25-31
Fired
Continued from front
Daniel Rodriquez (left) was named WPD’s Supervisor of
the Year in 2021 and photographed with Police Chief Willie
Burley.
Clevis Wendale Brown
Cleveland Dr., Waynesboro
Dec. 29
Possession of a controlled sub
stance; DU I -refusal; tag tight leg
ible 50 feet; safekeeping for Dept,
of Community Supervision
Ronderick Montego Brown
W. Eighth St., Waynesboro
Dec. 30
Obstructing taw enforcement of
ficers; fleeing/attempting to elude
police; failure to maintain lane
Maxine Gattis
Waters St., Waynesboro
Dec. 30
DUi - alcohol; failure to maintain
lane
Melissa Ann Gordy
Ball Park Rd., Sardis
Dec. 27
Forgery - 3rd degree
Michael Demario Herndon
Leonard Cir, Waynesboro
Dec. 31
DUt - alcohol; lighted headlights/
other lights required; driving while
license suspended or revoked
- misdemeanor; bench warrant -
misdemeanor
Ricky Lindell Hughes
W. Eighth St., Waynesboro
Dec. 30
Battery (FV) -1 st offense; obstruct
ing law enforcement officers
Marvin Jefferson Jackson
Johnson Rd., Sardis
Dec. 27
Probation violation - misdemeanor;
simple battery - (FV) - 2 counts
Josephine Winston Jones
Driftwood Cir., Aiken, SC
Dec. 31
DUi - refusal; headlight require
ments
Angela Lynn Lockamy
Collins Rd., Waynesboro
Dec. 31
Theft by receiving stolen property
- misdemeanor
Jeremiah Jay Oliver
Corn Rd., Girard
Dec. 30
Driving while license suspended or
revoked - misdemeanor; safekeep
ing for Screven County SO
Princeston Jermaine Padgett
Sedgefield Dr., Augusta
Dec. 31
Driving while license suspended or
revoked - misdemeanor; tag light
required; bench warrant - misde
meanor
Khadijah Patterson
Brandywine Dr., Augusta
Dec. 31
DUI - drugs; expired registration;
speeding in excess of maximum
limits (76/65); seatbelt adult; no
insurance; lighted headlights/other
lights required
Christopher Justin Perkins
Girard Ave., Sardis
Dec. 28
Serious injury by vehicle
La’ronda Sha’ron-Benijia
Quattlebaum
Pine Mast Ct., Columbia, SC
Dec. 26
Driving while license suspended or
revoked - misdemeanor; speeding
in excess of maximum limits (79/65
mph zone)
Bryon Scott Raborn
Hwy 305, Louisville
Dec. 27
FTA - felony; possession of meth-
amphetamine; FTA - felony; bur
glary in the 1st degree
Alex Lorenzo Roberts, Jr.
Leonard Circle, Waynesboro
Dec. 30
Light reducing material affixed to
windows; failure to stop at stop/yield
sign; marijuana -possession of less
than one ounce
William Michael Saxon
Forest Rd., Hephzibah
Dec. 26
Probation violation-felony;poss. Of
meth with intent to distribute
Kimberly Ashley Scott
Willow Ave., Brunswick
Dec. 26
DUI - alcohol; driving while license
suspended or revoked - misde
meanor; driving on wrong side of
roadway (housing for WPD)
Reed Anthony Vaughan
Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL
Dec. 31
DUi-alcohol
Zavion Jairee Washington
Nunnery Rd., Hephzibah
Dec. 29
Possession of firearm by convicted
felon or first offender
of the 63 hours he claimed.
Due to discrepancies
found for the December pay
period, a review was made
of Rodriquez’s October and
November 2023 timesheets.
Additionally, it was discovered
that he had claimed eight days
of overtime, none of which
he worked, the letter states.
The Sheriff also stated that
Rodriquez received pay for
several days that he called in
sick. The violations amount
to felony theft by taking,
according to Georgia statute.
The termination letter also
noted that Burke County
Sheriff’s Office employees
manually enter their time.
Prior to submitting, employees
must select the “resolve period
button” and approve their time
prior to submitting it for pay.
In a December 23 Facebook
post Rodriquez wrote, “So, it’s
no secret and anyone can come
up and talk to me you don’t
have to stare. I will not discuss
the issue until my lawyer and
other officials say it’s okay and
I probably won’t after. I will
not get on a radio show, social
media or call the paper to bust
others down without the final
outcome and I probably won’t
then. But I will say people of
evil can change a person who
was raised better, to also do evil
things without thinking. In the
end, people will find out that
the ones truly there for them
were the ones they did wrong
and the ones not there are the
ones that are smiling in the
background. I loved my job
and gave it my all...”
Rodriquez entered the law
enforcement field after he
was the victim of an armed
robbery while working as
a manager at an Augusta
drug store. Before working
for the BCSO, Rodriquez
joined the Waynesboro Police
Department where he was
named Supervisor of the Year
in 2021.
bail bonds
1022 N. Liberty St., Waynesboro - 706-551-0876