In late June, an incident occurred in Henry County, Georgia, involving a conflict between rank and the law. According to the NY Post, a Sheriff’s Deputy in Henry County spotted a car exceeding the speed limit by a whopping 60 miles per hour.
Reacting swiftly, the deputy activated his emergency lights and pulled the speeding vehicle over.
To his surprise, he discovered that the car contained two of his colleagues, one of whom was Deputy Chief Michael Yarbrough of the Sheriff’s Office.
Following a conversation with them, the deputy returned to his vehicle and promptly contacted another colleague, exclaiming, “Guess who I just pulled over?
The chief deputy, driving a souped-up Dodge Charger, owned by the sheriff’s office. I clocked this individual at 96 miles per hour in a 35 zone.”
The deputy deliberated on whether or not to issue a ticket but ultimately decided to do so, admitting his lack of fondness for the Deputy Chief.
As a result of the incident, the county suspended the Chief for one week without pay. The Sheriff’s Office defended Yarbrough, stating that he was on duty and operating the vehicle with lights and sirens, which, under normal circumstances, would have exempted him from receiving a citation.
The biggest issue with the stop was the officer admitting on body-worn camera that he would be issuing the citation due to his dislike for Yarbrough.
If that video evidence makes it into court it could be very troubling for the investigating officer and pose questions as if he has been issuing citations based on his personality conflicts during his entire career.
