CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A fourth deputy with Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has found himself without a job and is sitting in jail on Wednesday after allegations of abusing the Flock camera system.
Jerry Shellhouse, 57, was arrested, fired and faces criminal charges after the sheriff’s office investigation.
The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged the deputy following the alleged misuse of the agency’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system for non-law enforcement purposes.
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Investigators were alerted to the allegation that an employee may have improperly used the system between October 2023 and December 2025.
The sheriff’s office updated its Flock policy and implemented additional safeguards including conducting audits at least twice a year, limiting access to authorized users, requiring mandatory user certification for all individuals with system access, and providing additional training on the appropriate use of Flock technology.
Lieutenant Chris Bryant, Sergeant Mike Creeden and Deputy Cynthia Jodesty were all accused of using license plate readers without a legitimate reason in 2026.
“The actions taken in this case, along with the three arrests earlier this year, make our position unmistakably clear: misuse of this technology will not be tolerated,” said Sheriff Frank Reynolds.
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Shellhouse is charged with one felony count of violation of oath office and one misdemeanor count of prohibition on law enforcement retaining license plate data obtained through automated license plate recognition systems.
His bond is set at $3,812.
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