RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia deputy has been arrested after an internal audit found he had accessed the agency’s license plate reader system for personal reasons over nearly a month, according to the sheriff’s office.
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The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said a routine audit of its Flock License Plate Reader camera system on June 25 uncovered that Dep. Jaquarius Yarbrough had used the system outside the scope of his official duties.
The matter was immediately turned over to the RCSO Criminal Investigation Division.
Investigators determined that Yarbrough, who was assigned to the Transportation Division and had no authorized law enforcement need to access the Flock system, ran multiple searches involving at least one license plate over 28 days.
Investigators concluded the searches were conducted for personal reasons rather than any legitimate law enforcement purpose.
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Yarbrough was arrested and booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center on two felony charges: violation of oath of office and a charge under Georgia’s law prohibiting law enforcement from improperly retaining license plate data obtained through automated license plate recognition systems.
He has also been terminated from his position with the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said it remains committed to accountability and transparency, and that any misuse of law enforcement resources will be fully investigated.
The investigation is ongoing.
Earlier this week, two metro Atlanta deputies were also fired and arrested over allegations they misused the county’s license plate reader system.
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