DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Just hours after polls opened on Election Day, a candidate for Douglas County sheriff was booked into jail.
Public records show that Shedarren Fanning, a lieutenant with the Atlanta Police Department, was booked at the Gwinnett County jail Tuesday morning just before 11:30. Records show he's facing five misdemeanor charges, including:
- 1 count simple assault
- 1 count first-degree battery-family violence
- 2 counts of third-degree cruelty to children
- 1 count of willful obstruction
A $6,500 bond amount was issued.
According to warrants obtained by 11Alive, Fanning is accused of punching the mother of his child in the face causing swelling, pushing her to the point where she got cut and causing her to have multiple bruises on her arms. He also allegedly lunged at her to the point she feared for her life.
The cruelty to children charge involved any person under the age of 18 being present to see family violence battery. Fanning is also accused of obstructing law enforcement officers by allegedly providing false statements of what happened during the incident multiple times.
The arrest warrant outlines that Fanning has at least two prior convictions for battery, but not a conviction for battery-family violence.
In a statement on Fanning's campaign Facebook page, the sheriff's candidate posted about the situation, appearing to brush it off, writing, "Apparently, I'm a fugitive on the run from Gwinnett today."
"Please stop believing the rumors and stop believing falsified police reports that are being generated on Election Day," Fanning wrote alongside a photo appearing to show him outside of the Gwinnett jail while urging people to focus on changing what he called a "big corruption problem" in law enforcement.
11Alive reached out to Atlanta police to ask about Fanning's current status with the department. In a statement, the department said it was aware of the arrest and allegations against Fanning and said the lieutenant was "relieved of duty" and placed on administrative leave with pay, pending an internal investigation.
On Fanning's Facebook page, the sheriff's candidate cited a previous arrest within Douglas County as a reason that spurred him to run for sheriff. Those charges, which were not specified, were later dropped.
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