An 11-year Coweta County sheriff’s deputy who the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wanted to talk to concerning a sexual offense accusation was found dead Monday in an apparent suicide, sheriff Mike Yeager said.

GBI inspector Sherry Lang said Wednesday that Donald Patterson, “… was scheduled to meet with GBI agents on Monday regarding potential child molestation charges.”

She said she couldn’t answer any other questions because the autopsy report had not been completed.

Patterson had been placed on administrative leave by the department pending the investigation, Yeager said. He said the department had been contacted about the allegation, then turned the matter over to the GBI.

The Newnan Times-Herald first reported the story.

Yeager called Patterson, “a good deputy. One of those that did his job.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Retired Army Lt. Col. Raquel Durden, who was named Georgia Woman Veteran of the Year, rode in the Georgia Veterans Day Parade in Midtown Atlanta on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. In 2018, the Bogart resident cofounded a nonprofit for female veterans and first responders called Humble Warrior Wellness & Yoga. It brings them together for walks, workshops and retreats, helping them form friendships, avoid isolation and practice mindfulness. “God just picked me up,” said Durden, a cancer survivor, “and put me on a different path.” (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal

Featured

Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport domestic terminal on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, the first day of the Federal Aviation Administration cutting flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com