Family wants Spalding sheriff to fire deputy who hit, killed 2 men crossing road

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SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — A family is not happy that the officer who killed their son and his best friend has been hired by the Sheriff's Office where they live.

The family of Justin Sullivan told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that it's enough that their loved one was taken away when Officer Terry Belvin ran over him and his friend in his patrol car.

But they say it added insult to injury when they learned Belvin was hired at the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office where Sullivan's family members could be stopped by Belvin.

Taylor showed Jones dash camera video, seen publicly for the first time, that shows former BarnesvilleOfficer Terry Belvin driving 96 miles per hour, with no lights and sirens on, hitting and killing her son Justin Sullivan and his best friend Quentin Byrd on Highway 7 in 2014.

“This man was dangerous. He was reckless. He was driving too fast,” Danita Taylor said.

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Sullivan's family said they were told Belvin gave up his peace officer's certification in lieu of further criminal prosecution.

Then they found out Belvin was hired as a deputy with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office recently.

I was just disgusted. More so than that, I was just shocked,” Taylor said.

The Barnesville police chief told Jones that Belvin resigned under investigation.

POST records don't show that Sheriff Darrel Dix said.

Sullivan's family wants the sheriff to reconsider Belvin's employment, especially since most of Sullivan's family lives in Spalding County.

“He's employed in Griffin, Georgia, and my children are there every day,” Taylor told Jones.

Dix said he didn't know Sullivan's family lives in Spalding County. He said a Lamar County grand jury decided not to indict Belvin over the deadly crash. He also said Belvin’s record after that time is pristine.

That played a major role in his decision to hire Belvin.

Taylor said the sheriff isn't taking the public's safety into consideration.

“You should be ashamed,” Taylor said.

Jones tried to contact Belvin on Tuesday to get his side of the story, but so far, he has not heard back. Belvin was headed to a call that night, but that call had ended.

Sullivan's family said there are other incidents in Belvin's history that make him a bad hire.