A former Fayette County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Wednesday on charges he sexually assaulted an inmate in the county jail.
Roderick D. Hale, 53, turned himself in to authorities around 10 a.m. Wednesday, two days after the GBI announced criminal charges were pending against him. He posted a $25,000 bond and was released the same day.
Hale was hired by the sheriff’s office in January 2016 and was assigned to the jail division. He was fired Feb. 12 after an internal investigation by the sheriff’s office found policy violations, a spokesman for Sheriff Barry Babb said.
“Sheriff Babb wants to assure the community that we do not tolerate any misconduct of our employees, especially criminal, and we responded swiftly to the accusations and are thankful of the responsiveness of the GBI and District Attorney Ben Coker in this case,” spokesman Lt. Allen Stevens said in a news release.
According to the sheriff, deputies were first tipped to the alleged assault in early February. An inmate told a detention officer that a male deputy had engaged in a sexual encounter with a female inmate sometime during 2017.
Hale was placed on administrative leave until the internal investigation was complete. Upon his termination, Babb requested the GBI to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the inmate’s claims.
“Sheriff Babb’s desire has always been openness on the activity at the sheriff’s office; however, we cannot comment on the criminal investigation as it is a GBI investigation and we are briefed only as a professional courtesy,” Stevens said.
Hale faces two counts of sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority and a single count of violation of oath by a public officer. All are felony charges.
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