Cops: 2 ex-Cherokee Co. employees face felony theft charges, stole recyclable metal

Rodney Popham (left) and Michael Johnson

Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

Rodney Popham (left) and Michael Johnson

Two Cherokee County employees were arrested and fired after being accused of accepting money for access to metal at the county’s recycling center, authorities said.

Michael Johnson, 54, of Canton, and Rodney Popham, 49, of Ball Ground, were arrested Friday on felony theft charges, the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office said in a news release.

The recycling center on Blalock Road has been indefinitely closed as a result of the investigation, the release said. Chief Marshal Ron Hunton said residents should take household recyclables to the facility at Hobgood Park and their household trash to commercial landfills until it reopens.

Both Johnson and Popham remain in the Cherokee County Detention Center on a $4,875 bond, the release said.

The investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Marshal’s Office is ongoing.

In other news:

The threats came in around 12:30 p.m. on Sawanee Avenue, police said.