Date: 09-04-2015

Case Style: United States of America v. David M. Treadwell and Austin Herring

Case Number: 3:15-cr-00064

Judge: Not Available

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Hall County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: William L. McKinnon

Defendant's Attorney: Dwight E. Scott for Laquanda Boyce

James A. Simmons for Michael Calloway, Jr.

Description: Gainesville, GA - Two Former Hall County Sheriff's Office Employees Sentenced for Taking Bribes

David M. Treadwell and Austin Herring have been sentenced in separate cases arising from their former employment with the Hall County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office. Treadwell is a former deputy sheriff who accepted a bribe to tip off a person he believed was a drug dealer if the person came under investigation by Hall County law enforcement. Herring, a former jailer at the Hall County Detention Center, smuggled what he believed to be cocaine into the jail and delivered it to an inmate.

“These men committed serious breaches of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Herring and Treadwell placed self-interest above their sworn duty to serve and protect the citizens of Hall County. For just a few dollars they were willing to trade in their freedom and their careers in law enforcement.”

“Both of these cases illustrate a disheartening departure from integrity and dedication to service that is expected of our law enforcement officers. Today’s sentencing in federal court illustrates the painful but necessary consequences for that departure,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court: In late 2014, while Treadwell was employed as a deputy sheriff with the Hall County Sheriff's Office, he accepted $200 or $300 on five occasions from a person he believed was a drug dealer. In exchange for the money, Treadwell agreed to alert the drug dealer if it was learned that the drug dealer was under investigation in Hall County.

In February 2015, while Herring was employed as a jailer with the Hall County Sheriff's Office, he was paid $500 on two occasions to take packages he was told contained cocaine to an inmate inside the jail. On each occasion, Herring took the package to the inmate who was cooperating with the investigation. The inmate then turned the package over to investigators. Herring did not open or tamper with either package, but on each occasion he was specifically told by the person who gave it to him that the package contained cocaine from Mexico. In actuality, neither package contained a controlled substance.

Treadwell and Herring were fired by the Hall County Sheriff's Office immediately upon their respective arrests.

David M. Treadwell, 33, of Gainesville, Georgia, was sentenced to one year, one day in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine. Treadwell was convicted on these charges on May 12, 2015, after he pleaded guilty.

Austin Herring, 19, of Murrayville, Georgia, was sentenced to six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. As a special condition of supervised release, he must serve the first six months on home confinement with electronic monitoring. Herring was convicted on these charges on May 12, 2015, after he pleaded guilty.

Both cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force, which includes deputy sheriffs from the Hall County Sheriff's Office.

Outcome: See above

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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