A now former Covington police officer has been arrested and charged with having a stolen police motorcycle.

The motorcycle was stolen from DeKalb police, Channel 2 Action News reported Thursday.

Authorities got a tip and found the motorcycle in the Newton County backyard of John Laudermilk, who was arrested and then left the Covington Police Department after the chief began termination proceedings against him. The motorcycle may have been stolen years ago, the news station reported.

“Everybody here’s disappointed, from our chief on down, and even the other employees here at the city,” said Craig Treadwell, the department’s public information officer. “And police officers are human, and they do things that sometimes do violate the law, and if they do it is our duty to see that we take the appropriate steps to exclude them from our police department.”

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Amy Bielawski, who runs Hare-Brained Productions, prepares to work at a Fall Festival in Stone Mountain on Oct. 4, 2025. Bielawski is worried she may not be able to afford health care through Georgia Access when subsidies expire. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC