2 Officers Arrested For Misuse Of License Plate Reader System: Cherokee Sheriff

CANTON, GA — Two law-enforcement officers are facing charges after being accused of misusing a license plate reader system, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

Authorities have terminated and arrested Lt. Chris Bryant, 45 of Acworth, and Sgt. Mike Creeden, 35 of Cartersville, the department said.

This comes after authorities said they arrested Deputy Cynthia Jodesty on June 12.

Their arrests were in connection with a series of recent audits of the department's Automated License Plate Reader system, authorities said. The audits were to ensure the system was being used in compliance with agency policy and state law.

During the audits, authorities said they discovered three incidents involving three authorized users.

Creeden, Bryant and Jodesty were accused of using the system for non-law enforcement purposes.

The trio face charges of violation of oath of office and one misdemeanor count of prohibition on law enforcement retaining license plate data obtained from ALPRs, authorities said.

Bryant and Creeden were granted a $3,812.00 bond, authorities said.

“Our community expects and demands the highest level of professionalism, integrity and accountability from the Cherokee Sheriff's Office. Maintaining the public's trust requires that our employees uphold the law, safeguard sensitive information and use the tools entrusted to us only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. I remain committed to ensuring that our agency continues to operate with transparency, professionalism and the highest ethical standards.”

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds