The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office jailer Zachariah Smith was arrested and charged with items prohibited for possession by inmates and violation of his oath of office on Oct. 9.
Early last week, the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI investigate reports from other jailers about Smith possibly having inappropriate conduct with a female inmate.
The investigation revealed that Smith had inappropriate conduct with a female inmate and also gave her contraband earlier this month, the GBI said in a statement.
“In this situation, the system worked as it should,” Oglethorpe County Sheriff David Gabriel said. “A complaint was received, investigated and the person was held accountable. It is important to have the trust of the public that we get these situations right.”
Smith, who is 33 and lives in Elberton, was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Oglethorpe County Jail.
The case file has been given to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.