ATLANTA — A Fulton County deputy was arrested after she tried to smuggle in contraband for one of the defendants in the Young Slime Life RICO trial, according to arrest warrants released Friday.
Akeiba Stanley, 31, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on several charges including reckless conduct and hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal.
The former deputy is accused of trying to bring in contraband to Christian Eppinger with help from one of his family members, the sheriff's office said in a release.
Eppinger, an alleged gang member participating in the trial, is accused of shooting a veteran Atlanta Police officer several times last year while being taken into custody.
In addition to trying to smuggle contraband, another warrant claims Stanley had an “inappropriate relationship” with Eppinger.
The sheriff's office confirmed in a release that Stanley visited Eppinger's cell and communicated with him on an illegal phone. Messages were later found between the two on Instagram, the warrants allege.
While looking into this incident, 11Alive discovered that prior to Stanley's time with the sheriff's office, she was an officer at the Atlanta Police Department from 2016 to 2018.
However, Stanley was let go from the department after they investigated three complaints made about her, all of which happened in a 30-day span, according to a document from APD.
The investigation concluded that she was “unfit to perform the duties of a police officer,” the document stated.
Following her termination from APD, her Peace Officer Standards and Training Council certification was put on probation for 12 months in April 2020, POST records indicate.
She was ordered to complete a six-month ethics and professionalism course at her own expense back in 2020. She began working at the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in October of 2022.
Stanley was then terminated after officials became aware of the alleged attempts to smuggle in contraband.
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat released the following statement Friday afternoon regarding Stanley's arrest. In part, the statement reads:
Her reckless actions endangered the safety of citizens, staff and employees at the Fulton County Courthouse and put other inmates in jeopardy. To violate your sworn oath in such a brazen way that directly puts the life and safety of others at risk is unconscionable. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we are all responsible for our actions. If you break the law, you will be held accountable. The actions of this one individual are certainly not a reflection of the men and women of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office who show up to work each and every day and conduct their duties with professionalism, honor and integrity.
Currently, the former deputy is being held in the Fulton County Jail on the following charges:
- Conspiracy to commit a felony (felony)
- Hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal (felony)
- Violation of oath by a public officer (felony)
- Reckless conduct (misdemeanor)
