Ex-deputy indicted after drugs allegedly stolen

A former Cherokee County deputy sheriff has been indicted after he allegedly stole drugs from an evidence room that he was in charge of, court officials confirmed.

Jeffrey Lee Goettel, 41, of Jasper, is charged with violation of oath of office, theft by taking and three counts of violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, according to a spokeswoman for the Cherokee Superior Court clerk’s office.

Goettel was arrested in July after an unannounced audit of drugs “revealed missing narcotics that had been marked for destruction,” a sheriff’s spokesman said at the time.

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Investigators said Goettel, a 17-year employee of the agency, stole Oxycodone and morphine. The drugs weren’t taken for resale.

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