School Resource Officer in 'legal limbo' awaiting charges

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A former school resource officer wants to know why prosecutors allowed him to stay on the street for more than a year if they truly believe he is a predator.

In an email dated last June, the District Attorney’s Office said, “We hope to make a charging decision within the next 45 days.”

Defense lawyer Jackie Patterson says his client’s still in legal limbo and has been turned down for nearly 30 jobs.

"If I was the monster I’ve been described, why am I still out free if I literally live around the corner from an elementary school and down the street from a public park?” Keith Rucker asked.

He told Channel 2’s Mark Winne he is not a predator.

Rucker is accused of using hidden cameras in his home to intentionally video three juveniles in the nude during a time he worked with kids as a school resource officer at Tri-Cities High School and as a volunteer with a track club made up of kids from 7 to 18 years old.

“I've not done anything wrong to anybody,” he said.

Criminal warrants dated June 2014 charged Rucker with three counts of eavesdropping. He says roughly a year and a half later, he is still waiting for the Fulton County DA to either drop the warrants or take his case to the grand jury for indictment, the next major step if he's to stand trial.

“If Paul Howard is watching this interview, I want to challenge him to say do your job. Either indict him or dismiss this case,” Patterson said.

A statement from Howard’s office last June said, "This is a complex and time-consuming investigation, which requires the careful and meticulous task of reconstructing electronic surveillance activities to determine the scope of the alleged violations against several young people.”

Rucker says he had hidden cameras to make sure young men he allowed to stay with him were not meddling with guns he kept in his room.

Rucker says one issue he has with the warrants is they refer to the victims as juveniles but also seem to refer to them as “unidentified.” He says the young men living with him at the time frame in question were over 18, except for a foster son.

Winne tried repeatedly over several days to get a fresh response from the DA’s office but has not received one.

WSBTV