Former Cop Accused Of Lying During Internal Investigation

CANTON, GA — A former officer with the Canton Police Department was indicted earlier this month on allegations he lied to his superiors during an investigation into whether he had a sexual encounter with a woman while on duty. A Cherokee County grand jury indicted Kenneth Dale Furman on Feb. 12 on one count of making a false statement to two officers during an investigation into his actions.

Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell said the department launched an internal investigation in August 2016 after it received information that Furman allegedly had sexual intercourse with a woman while on duty. During the investigation, Mitchell said both the former officer and the woman denied the relationship. However about a month later, officers were contacted by the woman who admitted she "had lied to us," the chief said.

When pressed by investigators, Mitchell said Furman admitted he was "not truthful" about his relationship. While they were not able to prove any misconduct happened while the former cop was on duty, Mitchell said Furman had a duty to tell the truth and, thus, was terminated from the Canton Police Department on Nov. 3, 2016.

Furman, of Canton, served with the police department for roughly four years before he was fired from the post, the chief added. Mitchell told Patch officers informed the Georgia Bureau of Investigation of its findings. That agency launched an investigation, and turned the case over to the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office, which decided to bring the case before a grand jury.

"We are working to build an outstanding organization in the state and we are not going to tolerate that at this department," Mitchell said of Furman's alleged actions.

Furman is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. March 15 in Courtroom 2C at the Frank Mills Justice Center in downtown Canton.

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