HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Several members of the sheriff's office jail division in Hall County are being disciplined or have resigned after an internal investigation found several violations - including sexual misconduct.
According to the Hall County Sheriff's Office, an internal investigation was launched in mid-November after allegations involving employees who worked night-shift at the Hall County Jail.
"The detailed investigation found several violations of policy and procedure related to unbecoming conduct, unsatisfactory performance of duty, sexual misconduct between the employees and a failure to supervise," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The sheriff's office said the conduct didn't "rise to a criminal level or involve inmates" at the jail. However, the investigation did find that their alleged actions did "compromise the professionalism and operational effectiveness of the shift."
Hall Co. Jail night shift employees resign or face suspension after investigation
“The vast majority of the Deputies, Jailers and civilian professionals who serve in our jail work extremely hard to maintain a safe and professional environment,” Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “While those employees are clearly devoted to professionalism and duty, unfortunately, this small group of employees was not."
The sheriff added that he took swift disciplinary action and that he wouldn't tolerate the types of behavior the investigation uncovered.
"Poor choices have consequences and, as [a] result, six individuals are no longer employed and two others were suspended without pay," Sheriff Couch said.
Three employees, Deputy Randall Norton and jailers Dani Colella and Christopher Smith, resigned during a pre-termination hearing.
Two more, jailer Alexis Mitchell and Sgt. Andrew Ondo, resigned while under investigation. Lt. Ken Nix resigned and retired.
And two more, Deputy Daniel Harris and Jailer Kingston Morris were suspended for five days and two days, respectively.
"I don’t want the actions of a very few to reflect poorly on the dedicated employees who continually do an excellent job and put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis," the sheriff said. "I will accept nothing less than professional behavior from my staff, and will remain proactive in this effort.”
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