RABUN COUNTY, Ga. — The above video is from a previous report.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed a committee to investigate the arrest of Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols.
This comes after Nichols turned himself in last Friday on sexual battery and public indecency charges. However, the details of his accusations remain still unclear. 11Alive has attempted to request his arrest warrants multiple times with no response.
As a condition of his $32,500 bond, he is unable to be involved in any law enforcement activity in his capacity as sheriff, but he is currently running for reelection and faces a runoff later this month.
The committee, which was appointed by the governor, includes Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, Morgan County Sheriff Robert Markley and Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum.
They will have 30 days to prepare a report explaining why they recommend Nichols' suspension. Gov. Kemp could then take additional steps to remove him from office.
"This person has to have their day in court, but obviously, there was probable cause to make an arrest. So we're acting on that at this point," J. Terry Norris, the executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, previously said of the investigation. "It lessens the public's confidence in law enforcement in general and the office of sheriff specifically. There's another dent in that public's trust of our profession."
Nichols has worked for the Sheriff's Office since 1998.
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