UPDATED: Euharlee Appoints Interim Police Chief

Editor’s note: the story has been updated to include information from the Bartow County School System

WBHF AM 1450 is reporting that the Euharlee City Council has appointed an interim police chief.

The council has tapped Lee Neu to serve in the post, a move that was made Thursday evening during a called City Council meeting, the news outlet reported.

According to the radio station, Neu previously served 28 years with the Atlanta Police Department and eight years as police chief in Cobb County.

Read more of WBHF’s report here.

Chief Terry Harget and Assistant Chief Richard Smith have been charged with theft of government funds and violation of oath of office.

Bartow County District Attorney Rosemary Greene requested the GBI conduct an investigation concerning alleged “misconduct” by the chief and assistant chief.

According to the GBI, both Harget and Smith were employed by the Bartow County School System as crossing guards in “an off duty capacity.”

The school system contracted with the city police department to help with traffic control at Euharlee Elementary and Woodland Middle schools. The system said in a press release that the contract started “after budget cuts created lay-offs in the school system’s campus police department approximately three years ago.”

The school system paid $25 per day for each officer. In the beginning, the system contracted for one officer daily, but increased to two officers approximately a year ago.

After noticing “irregularities” with the officers on duty, Bartow County Campus Police Chief Dan Knowles looked into the situation and “felt it was necessary to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in early March 2015,” the system stated.

“I am disappointed and saddened by the alleged actions that led up to this point,” Bartow County Schools Superintendent John Harper added in a statement. “However, now that the situation is out of our hands, we will await the judicial process.”

The investigation revealed that Harget and Smith allegedly were being paid for performing the crossing guard assignment while also receiving on duty pay from the city.

The investigation also determined Harget was allegedly receiving pay from the school system’s police department while ”having on duty Euharlee officers perform the crossing guard duty for which Harget was being paid,” the GBI said.