Sheriff: Haralson County detention officer arrested for child abuse

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A Haralson County deputy jailer was arrested Tuesday on child abuse charges, the sheriff said.

Haralson County Sheriff Stacy Williams said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) contacted him Tuesday regarding the results of an ongoing investigation into a current sheriff's office employee in an outside jurisdiction.

The GBI told Williams they had arrested 30-year-old Thomas Jay Roberts, an assistant jailer with the sheriff's office, on charges of child molestation and aggravated sodomy. According to jail records, the victim was younger than 10 years old.

The sheriff's office decided to fire Roberts immediately due to the severity of the charges. They said Robert had worked as an auxiliary correctional officer for over a year.

“I have stood for transparency since taking office. I know the GBI has thoroughly investigated this case,” Williams said in a statement. “After learning the results of the investigation and the cruelty of the charges, we immediately made the decision to fire the former deputy and ensure that we are transparent with the citizens of Haralson County about this investigation and arrest.”

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