Georgia Police Chief and Officer Accused of Arresting People on False Charges in Order to Extort Them
A police chief and an officer in White, Georgia, were arrested and charged Wednesday with false imprisonment, extortion, and violating oaths of public office. Police Chief David King and Officer Blake Scheff were accused of arresting people on fabricated charges and then reducing those charges to collect fines.
The allegations stem from an investigation into the policemen’s activities between December 2011 and April 2015, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman Greg Ramsey said. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Brittny Brown was arrested March 31, 2012, in Bartow County on a charge of felony deposit account fraud, a crime that she did not commit, Ramey said. She was told about three months earlier to accept a disorderly conduct citation and pay a $1,000 fine for the crime. If she complied, authorities wouldn’t pursue felony state charges, according to a list of charges for King and Scheff.
About three years later, the family of Lois Kitchens was allegedly told the same thing. Though she was arrested in Bartow County on a charge of committing cruelty to children in the first degree, Kitchens did not commit, Ramey said.
According to the Associated Press, the FBI and GBI executed search warrants at the White Police Department and White City Hall in January. King and Scheff are being held at county jail.
