The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has issued warrants for Jackson police Officer Sherry Hall on Friday. That's according to GBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Wooten.
Wooten says she's charged with making false statements, tampering with evidence, interference with government property, and violation of oath of office.
Hall allegedly suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen while on patrol on Sept.13.
Police Chief James Morgan said Officer Hall was patrolling after midnight in the area of Walker Street and Camellia Court when she saw a man on the side of the road.
Wooten says based on Hall's charges there was never a suspect at large.
“There is no person out there with a gun shooting at our police officers,” Butts County District Attorney Richard Milam said. “There is no person that needs to be found. Please everyone put that out of your mind”
Morgan told 13WMAZ that Hall approached the man, he argued with her, and that's when she was shot. He said she was shot possibly five times, but that Hall was able to fire at least two rounds from her revolver.
"This is not a mistake. This is a criminal. I'm confident in the investigation conducted, and I'm confident in our prosecutor Richard Milam,” Butts County Sheriff Gary Long said. “I believe her next stop with be the Georgia Diagnostic Prison and she'll have a lot of time to think about what she's done.”
The GBI says Hall is now at a private facility, which they did not name, but once she's released, she will be arrested and booked into the Butts County Jail.
Milam said more charges are expected.
The GBI issued this news release Friday afternoon:
GBI Secures Arrest Warrants for Jackson Police Officer
Jackson, Georgia – Earlier today, the GBI secured four criminal arrest warrants through the Superior Court of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit on Sherry Hall. They are as follows: False Statements, Tampering with Evidence, Interference with Government Property, and Violation of Oath of Office.
After following the leads and evidence, the investigation has now revealed that there is no, and never was, a suspect shooter at large in Jackson, Georgia.
The GBI was requested by the Jackson Police Department to independently investigate both the Officer Involved Shooting/ Use of Force and the alleged Aggravated Assault of a Police Officer. The GBI Milledgeville Office committed all available assets and resources, which included personnel from two regional offices. To date, there have been in excess of 600 investigative work hours expended on this investigation and certain aspects of this investigation are still ongoing.
The alleged incident began at approximately 12:08 a.m. on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 when Sherry Hall called out over the radio that she had been shot. Several law enforcement officers from the Jackson Police Department and the Butts County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to assist in the officer down call. Sherry Hall alleged through three separate interviews with the GBI that she was shot by a black male subject who was positioned near the wood line at the cul-de-sac on Camellia Court. Sherry Hall further advised that she did not engage her in car video and audio recording equipment.
As part of this investigation, the GBI solicited input from the manufacturer of the in car camera system as well as a GBI Digital Forensic Investigator, in an effort to further this investigation. Video and audio evidence was recovered from the hard drive of the unit. After hours of subsequent examination of that video evidence, it was revealed that inconsistences existed with regard to Sherry Hall’s statements, witness statements, physical evidence, and later examination of forensic evidence.
The GBI Milledgeville supervisory staff met with Jackson Police Chief James Morgan and District Attorney Richard Milam apprising the agency heads of the existing inconsistencies. It was agreed to expand the investigation as it began to appear that Sherry Hall was not in fact a victim of a shooting.
In an effort to reconcile inconsistences discovered in the investigation, the GBI conducted a subsequent interview of Sherry Hall. During this interview Sherry Hall watched the video, and at that time Hall stopped cooperating with the investigation.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Sherry Hall failed to reveal to the GBI that she was in possession of an additional departmental handgun issued to her on July 1, 2016. A search warrant was secured and executed earlier this week for Hall’s residence located in Butts County. This particular weapon was located and seized, which gave rise to certain warrants concerning this investigation.
It has been determined that Sherry Hall is currently located in a private facility, of her own volition, and upon release she will be arrested, processed, and booked at the Butts County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center.
The GBI would like to commend all Butts County agency heads for their full and complete cooperation in regard to this investigation. Those agencies heads being Jackson Police Chief James Morgan, District Attorney Richard Milam, and Sheriff Gary Long.
Warrant for Jackson officer by 13WMAZ on Scribd
