A former Habersham County jailer has added legal woes to face after new charges were brought against him over his alleged illicit interactions with a female inmate. Alexander Hardaway, 30, now contends with accusations of improper sexual contact and oath violation, alongside earlier charges of lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The GBI took Hardaway into custody following a probe initiated on September 28, 2023, by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office. Inquiring into Hardaway's conduct, officials wanted to firsthand understand the nature of his relationships with those behind bars. They soon found out enough to charge him with giving false statements to investigators. He was originally arrested on October 2, with the initial news of his arrest reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
According to warrants which the GBI obtained on March 19, Hardaway was charged with the second-degree offense of knowingly engaging in sexual contact with a female inmate. Adding to Hardaway's troubles is a violation of oath by a public officer, as stated by the GBI. He was released on bond three days after the new charges, on March 22.
New details about the additional charges were released on March 25, and Habersham County supplied a mugshot of the accused. "Any breach of trust or misconduct by my personnel will not be tolerated," Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell was quoted in an article by WSB-TV. The case remains an active investigation and is anticipated to be forwarded to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution upon completion.
Hardaway's employment with the Habersham County Detention Center was terminated on September 29 following what was cited as "policy violations," which now seem to be part of a pattern leading to the current legal confrontations he faces.
