The kind of headline no small town wants on a Friday afternoon landed in Baldwin when a former assistant police chief was arrested after money vanished from the department's evidence room, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Agents took 41-year-old Justin Ferguson into custody and charged him with theft by taking and violation of oath of office. The Habersham County Sheriff's Office said Ferguson was booked into the county detention center, then later released on a $4,000 bond.
According to Atlanta News First, Baldwin police called in the GBI on April 7 after discovering money missing from the evidence room and identifying Ferguson as the primary custodian in charge of that space. The outlet reports that the inquiry that followed ultimately led to Ferguson's arrest on Friday.
Arrest and charges
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has charged Ferguson with felony theft by taking and violation of oath of office, WSB-TV reported. The station added that Ferguson, listed as a Clarkesville resident, was booked into the Habersham County Detention Center and released on a $4,000 bond, and that the GBI says the probe remains active while officials continue to ask for tips.
Local background and staffing
The arrest lands in the middle of months of turmoil inside the small Baldwin Police Department, where earlier reporting detailed a wave of resignations and an internal inquiry tied to interactions with the assistant chief. In March, Now Georgia reported that Chief Chris Jones confirmed an internal investigation was underway but declined to share specifics. For a department of Baldwin's size, that kind of turnover is more than office gossip, it is a full-blown staffing crisis.
Legal context
In Georgia, theft by taking falls under O.C.G.A. § 16-8-2, which covers unlawfully taking or appropriating someone else's property. Penalties depend largely on the value involved. The separate charge of violating an oath by a public officer is governed by O.C.G.A. § 16-10-1, which makes it a crime for a public official to willfully break the duties they swore to uphold.
What happens next
The GBI's Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland is handling the case and is asking anyone with information to call 706-348-4866 or submit anonymous tips through its tipline, WSB-TV noted. The investigation is still open, and Baldwin city officials have yet to issue a detailed public roadmap for how the department plans to move forward from here.
