Auburn police officer fired following DEA arrest

AUBURN, Ga. — An Auburn police corporal has been fired after he was arrested by the DEA.

Officials confirmed to Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant that Cpl. Charles Hubbard, 51, of Loganville has been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion. %

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In court documents, investigators accuse Hubbard of working with a known drug and robbery crew.

Members of a federal task force arrested Hubbard and two accomplices during a Monday night sting outside a DeKalb County apartment complex.

Investigators said Hubbard illegally took $40,000 from a confidential informant who was posing as a drug dealer.

The attempted shakedown happened during a bogus traffic stop, authorities said.

Auburn Mayor Linda Blechinger told Diamant that her reaction when she learned about Hubbard's arrest was "shock. Absolutely shocked. Disbelief."

Blechinger said Hubbard was one of the city's top officers, always going above and beyond the call of duty.

"It is just one of those situations that you read about or you see in a movie where somebody's leading a double life," Blechinger said.

Auburn Police Chief Carl Moulder told Diamant that he fired Hubbard Wednesday morning.

"It's heartbreaking, you know? This is an officer I had a lot of trust in and confidence and he let myself, the whole department, the community down. It's very disappointing," Moulder said.

Moulder told Diamant that he is now focused on trying to restore the public trust.

"Now that he's gone, I expect better things going forward," Moulder said.

Reaction around the small town was one of shock.

"It's a small town, so they care about us, and they watch out for us, so it's kind of disturbing," Auburn resident Rylee Anderson said.

Hubbard faced a federal judge Wednesday afternoon where he was granted a $50,000 bond and was confined to house arrest.

Cox Media Group