Man Charged With Impersonating Police Officer In Cherokee County

CANTON, GA -- Another Cherokee County resident has been charged with impersonating an officer after he was allegedly heard on radio providing false information about calls for service. Cherokee sheriff's investigators arrested Jonathan Beavers, 29, of Canton on Thursday, Dec. 21 with several charges related to the incident.

Cherokee sheriff's deputies working on patrol heard a male voice over the radio providing inaccurate details about calls for service and "also using noise to interrupt normal radio traffic," sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said.

The Criminal Investigations Division identified Beavers as the suspect and executed a search warrant at his home. Detectives unearthed evidence to aid in their investigation. Beavers was charged with four counts of harassing communications, two counts of obstruction of an officer and impersonating an officer. He remains held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

Sgt. Kelley said Beavers was equipped with a hand-held radio, which is available to purchase by anyone. Users can also obtain public safety frequencies as the Federal Communications Commission does not keep that information private, she added.

"He had to have some sort of knowledge on how to get the proper frequency set on the radio and then he was able to transmit," Sgt. Kelley told Patch. "It’s not illegal to have either the radio or the frequencies, but when using it to communicate over the channel then it becomes illegal."

Sgt. Kelley said the sheriff's office's CID worked in conjunction with the Cherokee Marshal's Office to bring "this potentially dangerous interference with public safety to a successful conclusion."

It's the second time this year a Cherokee County resident has been charged with impersonating an officer. In March, Brian Kristopher Weikel allegedly pulled over a motorist he accused of driving aggressively. The sheriff's office previously told Patch that Weikel said he "conducted a traffic stop in his civilian vehicle using a blue light that attaches to the visor of his vehicle." Deputies note Weikel wasn't a certified peace officer, and had no legal authority to conduct the traffic stop.

Photo: Jonathan Beavers. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office