Once a rising star in law enforcement, a former McDonough police officer and commander of a drug task force has been indicted on 30 counts related to spending taxpayer money on shopping, dining and other personal expenses.
Chad Douglas Rosborough, who resigned from the McDonough Police Department in 2019, is accused of taking thousands of dollars in cash and using a county-issued credit card for personal purchases, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a news release Wednesday. Rosborough’s indictment includes three counts of theft by taking, 12 counts of unauthorized use of a financial transaction card and 15 counts of violation of oath by a public officer.
In total, Rosborough is accused of stealing $4,500 in cash and spending nearly $1,500 on his county credit card on unauthorized personal expenses, the indictment said.
Rosborough had risen to the rank of major with McDonough police and was a graduate of the FBI National Academy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. He was the commander of the Flint Circuit Drug Task Force, where former McDonough police Chief Preston Dorsey said he did an “outstanding job.”
According to the state’s indictment, the drug task force was also a victim of Rosborough’s alleged theft. In 2019, other agents on the task force reported missing funds to Dorsey, the former police chief said at the time. The report triggered an emergency meeting of the task force’s board, which voted unanimously to request a GBI investigation into the allegations. Rosborough resigned the day after he was placed on administrative leave pending the GBI probe.
The indictment released Wednesday alleges that Rosborough took out cash meant for use by the drug task force from three separate checks in 2017, 2018 and 2019. During those same years, Rosborough is accused of using his county credit card to dine out at restaurants and shop for clothes, tools and outdoor gear. The indictment includes transactions of about $200 at retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Mountain Khakis. The largest single transaction was for nearly $260 at Home Depot.
Rosborough’s card was also used for multiple meals in June 2019 at restaurants, which included Bubba Gump, Primos Restaurant and two separate charges at Casablanca on the Bay in Miami, Florida, the indictment said.
“Public officers must perform their duties honestly and ethically, and those who fall short do a disservice to the very people they have sworn to serve and protect,” Carr said in a statement Wednesday, adding that his office would continue working “to protect taxpayer dollars no matter the amount.”
“Law enforcement officials take an oath to uphold the public’s trust,” GBI Director Vic Reynolds said. “We are committed to investigating allegations of officer misconduct and value our relationship with the Attorney General’s office who prosecute these offenders.”
If found guilty, Rosborough could be sentenced to years in prison and fined up to $100,000, according to the attorney general’s office.
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