A Hagan police officer has been suspended from his duties after officials discovered an official police report may have been altered.
Officer Tyler Barnard has been placed on leave without pay and two investigations are underway, according to city officials in Hagan.
Chief Andy Benjamin told AllOnGeorgia on Wednesday that Barnard responded to a single-vehicle accident in Tattnall County while he was on-duty in the city of Hagan, located in Evans County. Barnard was reportedly on-duty but was in his personal truck, not a Hagan patrol vehicle, at the time of the incident. A report was not filed at the time of the accident, but in the days following and Barnard was the officer to file the official report. Benjamin said there were some ‘inconsistencies’ in the report and it did not appear to match up with what actually occurred and the official report was not fully-complete until May.
The accident occurred back in February of this year, the chief said, and when the insurance company brought the matter to his attention, he opened a small investigation but was unable to find any wrongdoing in the report. As more information was brought to light and the insurance company continued with their investigation, Benjamin said it became apparent that the accident occurred during a lapse of insurance for the driver and the date of the photo of the damaged vehicle, the date of the accident in the report, and the claim for insurance did not match. “It’s not accurate,” he said about the report.
Benjamin said he, in the official capacity of the City of Hagan, is conducting an internal investigation and a law enforcement official for the insurance company is also conducting an investigation, which could lead to criminal charges if it is found that Barnard and the driver of the vehicle falsified a report.
The Peace Officers Standards and Training Council (POST) can also take disciplinary action on the matter, but no POST investigation is underway at this time.
The term of the suspension is not determined, but the City Council and the city attorney, Hugh McCollough, are aware of the ongoing investigations. The City of Hagan personnel policy permits due process for employees when it comes to disciplinary matters.
The City of Hagan is now operating with only one officer, Chief Benjamin, and the Claxton-Hagan public hearing for discussion on a proposed merger of the two departments is scheduled for October 2.
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Joseph E. Sapp
September 27, 2018 at 5:11 am
I am glad. Tyler Barnard does not need to be a police officer. I once ran an online business in Evans County, but harassment by Barnard and former Hagan Chief Kirkland ended that- Barnard arrested me for ‘picking up pecans on the side of the road’ when I was in the process of reporting the ECSO for covering up the in custody beating of a Black prisoner and Kirkland would intercept my packages to eBay buyers and rip them open to search for (non existent) drugs. Several were to international customers. No attempt was made to reseal and resend the items. No reports officially made. Barnard would also stop vehicles leaving my business and strip search car and driver. On one occasion he snatched Glen Rice, a paraplegic, out of the vehicle and burst $70k worth of skin grafts which lead to infection and now Mr. Rice is no longer able to live independently. All for a groundless unproven vendetta. Fear for my own personal safety required me to leave my home and go underground while I reported a number of these things to the local FBI office. This is not an ambiguous tall tale based on pee and vinegar. These are verifiable incidents. Yet still Barnard was given accolades,. Kirkland was promoted and I have lost a business and my home where I grew up. I can never return, but it is Evans County citizens who suffer. All while The Call aways, Kirkland’s, Barnard’s and DeLoachs steal your money, cripple your children, destroy your future, and make a mockery of your community. I’m Glad to see the thieves getting caught, the lies being exposed, and the good ole boys becoming afraid. Maybe change will be for the better. Putting Tyler Barnard out of a job and in Federal Prison is a good start. Disbarring the entire callaway firm and sending them to prison would help, too. Someone I once respected said Kirkland was a good man, so maybe, just maybe, he can be redeemed. Everyone should have a second chance when there is honest error. It’s the one who tells, and knows it’s, a lie that should be kicked. My name is Doctor Joseph Edward Sapphire. My daddy is the late Waldo Sapp My mother was Bessie Lou Boyette Sapp Edenfield. My Grandaddy was Julian ‘Coon’ Sapp. My Cousin was CW ‘JR’ Young. My uncle was Ben Sapp. If you are from Claxton/Evans County, you know those names. My family has served the community for over Three Generations. Our blood is in your dirt.