Former commercial patrol officer is accused of arresting innocent drivers hired by the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office

A police officer who was fired from the Commercial Police earlier this year for alleged misconduct has been hired by another law enforcement agency in north Georgia.

Jacob Cody Wood, who was featured in national media after he was accused of failing to charge impaired drivers for drunk driving, is now employed as a deputy with the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff David Gabriel could not be reached for comment despite repeated requests.

According to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) of Georgia, Wood joined the Oglethorpe Sheriff's Office in May. Now, Habersham has confirmed that POST has launched an active investigation into Wood based on the February allegations.

“Mr. Wood's investigation is pending,” said Christopher Lee, an investigator with POST District 7. “I don't have a date for when it will be reviewed by the POST Council.”

Fox 5 Atlanta reported in February that Wood “made twice as many DUI arrests in 2023 as the rest of the (Commercial Police) Department combined.” According to a Fox 5 I-Team investigation, Wood frequently arrested a driver for drunk driving Tax/Drugs charged despite there being no drugs in the vehicle, and a number of people who underwent blood tests were found to have no drugs or illegal substances in their systems following their arrest.

More than a dozen DUI cases involving people charged by Wood were later dropped by the law firm, Fox 5 reported.

In 2018, the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office hired former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Taylor Saulters, who was terminated from the ACCPD after he was accused of intentionally striking a fleeing suspect with his vehicle.