Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

Ex-Ga. sheriff arrested again, accused of stealing money from department

Former Miller County Sheriff Shane Rathel (Credit: WALB)
Former Miller County Sheriff Shane Rathel (Credit: WALB)
By Raisa Habersham
April 19, 2017

A former South Georgia sheriff was arrested Wednesday after GBI officials said he stole money from “various areas associated with the Miller County Sheriff’s Office.”

Shane Rathel faces 16 felony charges of theft by taking and a felony violation of oath charge, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.

The warrants were taken out as part of an existing investigation against Rathel that alleges he sold stolen firearms given to him by an assault and battery suspect.

RELATED: Ex-Georgia sheriff arrested, accused of selling stolen firearms

Rathel was arrested in October on two counts of selling stolen firearms.

He remains in the Miller County jail.

Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI at 229-225-4090 or the Miller County Sheriff’s Office at 229-758-3421.

In other news:

The homeowner describes how it started.

About the Author

Raisa Habersham is the Intown Atlanta hyperlocal reporter for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

More Stories

The Latest

A Spalding County woman who has been imprisoned the past 11 years for a child abuse conviction is entitled to a new trial, a judge has ruled. The case is set to be argued before the Georgia Supreme Court in November. (File)

Credit: TNS

Mother imprisoned more than a decade gets bond ahead of possible new trial

Fulton sheriff: ‘People will continue to die’ if city ends jail lease

‘Never had the evidence’: Georgia man acquitted of murder in twisty cold case

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT

Fani Willis loses last chance to stay at the helm of Trump Georgia election interference case

Georgia's top court declines to hear Fani Willis appeal in Trump case, meaning she can no longer pursue the election interference case.

Investigator: Ex-APD officer raped woman on duty, returned when she called 911

Fulton County Magistrate Judge Todd Ashley ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed against former officer Muhammad Muhammad.

Cobb County agency green lights tax break for Home Depot’s $140M project

The Development Authority of Cobb County voted 6-0 to give initial approval for Home Depot's request Tuesday but didn't disclose the property tax savings the company sought.

2h ago