Ga. sheriff’s department employee arrested after embezzling money from inmates, officials say

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. — A Haralson County Sheriff’s Office employee was arrested for violation of oath and theft by taking on Friday, the HCSO announced on Friday.

Last week, a Haralson County Grand Jury indicted Jada Lee Pike after an internal investigation that began in 2021 after Sheriff Stacy Williams took office and had a thorough audit conducted on all HCSO accounts.

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HCSO officials say during the investigation, discrepancies were found in the jail’s inmate account.

Evidence from the investigation showed Pike reportedly “embezzled a significant amount of money from the inmate account during a two-year period before Sheriff Williams took office.”

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“Since I have taken office, we have fired multiple employees and several of them have faced criminal prosecution. This past year, we sent two former jailers to prison for their criminal acts,” Sheriff Williams said. “I have said from the beginning that we must hold ourselves accountable first, and we have worked hard to do just that. Even though these funds were stolen before I took office, we still must maintain that accountability.”

Pike was allowed to turn herself in to police on Friday, Dec. 15.

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