Valdosta Police Department

History

1990s controversies

In 1995, the VPD faced a severe controversy over their handling of a murder case involving one of their own patrolmen Maurice Cassotta. Cassotta's ex-girlfriend Donya Jones and their 2-year-old son Seth Cassotta were found dead in a bathtub on March 30, 1994 by Cassotta himself. Despite evident foul play, investigators ruled the case a murder-suicide and had the officers scrub clean the crime scene. Two days later, autopsies showed that both Jones and her child were murdered. Cassotta was charged for the murders but was acquitted by the jury in February 1995, which prosecutors and other observers attributed largely to the Valdosta police's unwarranted destruction of forensic evidence.

As a result of the misconduct in the Cassotta case, police chief Charlie Spray and three other high-level VPD officers were put on leave while the mayor asked the Georgia attorney general's office to review the VPD's conduct. The state attorney general found no definitive evidence of criminal intent, but concluded there was "substantial malpractice" at the very least and left open the possibility of "intentional conduct by the Valdosta detectives". Just before the state AG report was released in mid April of 1995, Spray resigned, while the formerly-suspended assistant chief David Whitfield and major Remer Croft were fired.

Turning over a new leaf

Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson hired Frank Simons as the new police chief in June 1995. City officials hoped that Simons, who had come from a nationally accredited police agency, would be able to restore the credibility of the Valdosta Police Department after its cloud of corruption scandals. By 1999, the department received accredited status from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Ray Lemme death

With alleged reformer Frank Simons still as police chief, the VPD was rocked by new allegations of cover-up in a July 2003 death case. Florida state investigator Ray Lemme, who was looking into corruption surrounding Yang Enterprises, Tom Feeney, and state government malfeasance going all the way up to Governor Jeb Bush, was found dead in a Valdosta motel room on July 1, 2003 just weeks after stating that he would soon be breaking the case. Valdosta police quickly ruled his death a suicide, which is what it superficially appeared to be at first glance. The report claimed that there was no evidence of foul play and that no photos would be included with the report due to a malfunction of the flash memory card. It was subsequently revealed that crime scene photos did exist, and showed notable bruising on Lemme's neck; indeed, the crime scene technician specifically went to take a close-up highlighting the neck. Subsequent police investigation also showed that many items in the room were never entered into evidence as part of the report.

Employees

• Chief of police: ..., Charlie Spray (1986-1995), Frank Simons (1995-2013), Brian Childress (2013-2018), ???? (2018-present)

Controversies

Harmon Tucker

Main article: Valdosta sex ring allegations#Valdosta elite pedophilia

Allegedly a perpetrator or witness in the Franklin scandal, Harmon Tucker was a school superintendent in Council Bluffs IA who was found shot to death just outside of Valdosta GA in late October of 1988, a week before the Franklin Community Federal Credit Union was shut down by the authorities. Author John DeCamp asserted that Tucker's death "had signs of satanic ritual murder", and that the Georgia area where Tucker was found was close to a plantation where Omaha World-Herald publisher Harold Andersen and Omaha FBI chief Nick O'Hara would hunt together. Tucker was apparently driven down to his death in Georgia by a man named Walter Gerald Ellis. The circumstances of Tucker's murder were extremely perplexing to a local Lowndes County GA prosecutor, who called it one of the "weirdest" he had ever seen. Law enforcement and news reports suggest that Ellis might have been a serial killer, being tentatively linked to a 1984 murder near Council Bluffs, a February 1988 murder in Idaho, and an abduction of a 6-year-old boy near the Nevada-Arizona border. He made frequent unexplained references to serial killer Richard Speck right after law enforcement arrested him. Ellis was convicted solely for Tucker's murder, which he claimed occurred because Tucker made sexual advances and talked about "things he had done to boys in the past", and died in 2017 while incarcerated in Lowndes County.

Ray Lemme

Main article: Ray Lemme

Child abuse cases

In the middle of 2005, multiple independent journalists alleged that Valdosta was home to a pedophile ring that involved local politicians, businessmen, and police.

VPD officers confirmed to be involved in child abuse:

• Otto Pena: officer since September 2006; arrested on May 5, 2011 for one count of aggravated child molestation
• Michael Linger: fired on October 3, 2013 the day after a child pornography probe implicated him; indicted on March 4, 2014

VPD officers alleged to be involved in child abuse:

• Charlie Spray: former police chief who resigned in April 1995 after being suspended over his handling of the Maurice Cassotta case; alleged to have allowed brothels to operate after accepting bribe money, and to have molested two young girls

Kendrick Johnson

Kendrick Johnson was a high school student who was found suffocated inside a rolled-up gym mat in January 2013. [...]

External links

• Maurice Cassotta case
  • Atlanta Constitution, "OFFICERS ON LEAVE", 1995/02/26: "Valdosta Police Chief Charlie Spray and three other top-level officers have been put on administrative leave as part of an investigation of how the department handled a double murder in March 1994. Valdosta Mayor James H. Rainwater also is asking the state attorney general's office to review the case. Patrol Officer Maurice Cassotta Jr., 36, found his former girlfriend and their son lying in a bathtub. Other officers decided the deaths were a murder-suicide and cleaned up the tub, according to recent testimony. Two days later, autopsy reports showed both mother and child were murdered. Cassotta was later charged in the deaths, and a jury found him not guilty last week. The other officers put on leave are Assistant Police Chief David Whitfield, Maj. Remer Croft and Detective Carl Smith."
  • Savannah Morning News, "A trying time in city of Valdosta", 1995/03/20: "When does Southern hospitality include using the radio waves to label outsiders as "roaches" and "witches" engaged in a smear campaign? Let two Chatham County prosecutors tell you and they'll say such ugly words were part of the welcome they received after arriving in Valdosta in February. Chatham County Assistant District Attorneys Ronald Adams and June Fogel went to the southwest Georgia city to try a popular, local police officer accused of drowning his 2-year-old son in a bathtub and strangling to death the child's mother in March 1994. Adams and Fogel were assigned the case after the Valdosta District Attorney recused himself, citing the possibility of being called as a witness. Their two-week trial ignited daily radio commentary criticizing the prosecutors and a state investigation of a possible police cover-up. After nearly 25 hours of deliberations, jurors acquitted Maurice Cassotta Jr. on Feb. 20. The acquittal means he cannot be tried again for the murder of Donya Jones, 21, and Seth Cassotta. Although prosecutors do have some limited appeal rights, they cannot appeal a trial where the defendant is hot found guilty of the charges, Chief Assistant District Attorney David Lock said. Suspicions of a cover-up prompted Gov. Zell Miller to ask Attorney General Michael Bowers to investigate the police department's handling of the murders, which included a cleanup of the crime scene that destroyed physical evidence. "The police department literally scrubbed down the tub, the walls of the tub and then released the house to members of the family of Cassotta," Adams said. But Adams and Fogel say a lack of physical evidence wasn't the only difficulty they encountered while trying the case. They wonder whether daily radio broadcasts might have influenced the jury's decision. Those broadcasts attacked their professionalism in court, the strength of their case against the accused and.suggested a sexual relationship existed between the two attorneys. However, Valdosta disc jockey Mike Howard says his Z-97 FM-radio broadcasts were harmless and only meant to parody the prosecutors. Humorous or not, the prosecutors say the daily jokes became slanderous and might have jeopardized their case. They would not comment on whether they planned to sue [...]"
  • Atlanta Constitution, "Valdosta police cited for 'inept' probe", 1995/04/19: "The state has found no criminal intent in the Valdosta Police Department's investigation of a 1994 double homicide, although a review uncovered evidence of "substantial malpractice" by several officers, said state Attorney General Michael Bowers. "The investigation was handled in such an inept and reckless manner as to indicate possible intentional conduct by the Valdosta detectives," Bowers said Monday. "However, the evidence is insufficient to prove criminal intent to sustain a conviction." The report by Richard Hyde, the attorney general's investigator, focused on former Police Chief Charlie Spray, former Assistant Chief David Whitfield, former Maj. Remer Croft and Detective Carl Smith. It concerned their handling of the deaths of Donya Jones and Seth Cassotta, who were the former girlfriend and son of Valdosta patrol Officer Maurice Cassotta Jr. Investigators at the March 30, 1994, crime scene wrongly referred to the deaths as a murder-suicide and cleaned a bathtub where the bodies were found. Autopsies showed that both were homicide victims, and the scouring of the scene left little physical evidence. Cassotta was acquitted of murder charges in February. Spray resigned last week, and Whitfield and Croft were fired. Smith returned to work last month."
  • List of Valdosta Daily Times articles in 1995 about Maurice Cassotta
  • Court TV, "Cop on Trial: Scapegoat or Murderer?", 1995 (WorldCat page): "Valdosta, Georgia police officer, Maurice Cassotta, was on trial for the murder of son, Seth, and child's mother. Police, on arrival at murder scene, had assumed a murder/suicide and cleaned area so that important evidence was destroyed."
  • Florida Times Union, "Double Slaying Still Unsolved", 1996/02/25: "Forever young in the color snapshots dotting a refrigerator door in Tifton, Donya Leigh Jones, 21, and Christopher Seth Cassotta, 2, are dead and buried, and, some family members fear, at risk of being forgotten. A year after the sole suspect in their murders was acquitted, the killer has yet to be found. Four Lowndes County sheriff's detectives continue to work on the slayings virtually full time, but those close to the case think the efforts are futile. "As a practical matter, I think it's over," Lowndes County District Attorney H. Lamar Cole said. [...] Sheriff Ashley Paulk insists his deputies are following leads and collecting evidence, but some family members of the victims who long ago lost faith in the justice system aren't expecting a miracle. They say the best chance authorities had to solve the murders was the day Valdosta police found the bodies of Jones and her son nude in a bathtub at a home in the city's northeast side. After discovering the victims on March 30, 1994, veteran investigators ruled the deaths a murder-suicide despite obvious hints of foul play, and ordered officers to clean up the crime scene. Police did not question fellow Valdosta patrolman Maurice Cassotta, who fathered the boy with Jones and found the bodies that day. Though Cole, fearing a cover-up, called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after learning of that action three days later, authorities say the damage was done. A pair of Savannah prosecutors who watched a jury acquit Cassotta in February 1995 said their case was ruined by the Police Department's botched probe."
  • Florida Times Union, "Trail Cold in Lowndes Slayings", 1997/02/10: "The killings of Donya Leigh Jones and Christopher Seth Cassotta remain a mystery two years after one-time Valdosta patrolman Maurice Cassotta was acquitted in the March 1994 deaths of his estranged ex-girlfriend and young son. Lowndes County sheriff's Capt. David Arnold said four investigators probing the killings of Jones, 21, and Christopher Seth Cassotta, 2, have run out of leads and witnesses. The case has been put on indefinite hold, he said, and might not be solved unless investigators come up with a lucky break. [...] Investigators suspected Cassotta as the killer because he had a stormy relationship with Jones, had access to her residence and the opportunity to kill the victims, said Ronald Adams, the Savannah assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case. Cassotta was the last person known to have seen Jones alive after she returned from her job at a steakhouse on the night of March 29, 1994, Adams said, adding that the police officer also was the beneficiary of a $50,000 insurance policy taken out on the boy. While it is not unusual for parents to buy such policies on their young children, the coverage amount of $50,000 is "somewhat out of the ordinary." Adams said. The policy, issued by Jacksonville-based American Heritage Life Insurance Co., was paid, he added. [...] The Sheriff's Office, which is not responsible for investigating crimes within city limits, entered the case to see if the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had overlooked evidence that might have led to the identification of a suspect. The GBI concluded its probe by the end of the trial, Adams said. Deputies in May 1995 returned to the crime scene, a home on the city's northeast side owned by Cassotta, in search of fingerprints and other evidence that might have been overlooked by Valdosta police when the bodies of Jones and her son were found on March 30, 1994. But Arnold said no new evidence was uncovered in the home, then occupied by new residents."
  • Langdale Vallotton LLP, "Pope Langdale addresses The Georgia Legal History Foundation", 2014/03/25: "On March 21, 2014 attorney Pope Langdale presented a speech entitled Valdosta Victories – A Look Back at Three Important Legal Cases that Shaped the Valdosta-Lowndes County Community at a Georgia Legal History Foundation seminar in Albany, Georgia. The speech detailed three of the most noteworthy criminal trials that have ever occurred in Valdosta over the last fifty years including: United States v. Eddie Ray Crockett, Jr. and Jewell L. Futch, State of Georgia v. Keller Wilcox, and State of Georgia v. Maurice Cassotta."
  • Comment from 2015/01/14 on Re-NewsIt!, "Kendrick Johnson's True Crime Scene Photo", 2014/02/10 by a purported friend of Donya Jones: "CHARLIE SPRAY FORMER POLICE CHIEF VALDOSTA GA COVERED UP THE MURDER COMMITTED BY MAURICE CASSOTTA OF MY FRIEND AND THEIR CHILD IN THE EARLY 90'S!!!! THE JURY TOLD DATELINE TV AND COURT TV THE ONLY REASON THEY COULD NOT UNEQUIVOCALLY FIND CASSOTTA GUILTY WAS BECAUSE SPRAY HAD THE CRIME SCENE WASHED CLEAN SO WELL AND THE INVESTIGATORS WERE FIRED WITH SPRAY WHO SERVED PRISON TIME FOR STEALING. SPRAY USED TO ALLOW BROTHELS TO BE RUN AS LONG AS HE GOT PAID TO LET THEM BE. HE MOLESTED TWO YOUNG GIRLS WHO HAVE NEVER HAD JUSTICE BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES WERE THREATENED. HE ALLOWED ALOT OF INNOCENT WRONGLY ACCUSED TO BE RAILROADED!!! I BELIEVE THIS FAMILY TOTALLY BECAUSE OF HOW DIRTY THE LANGDALE RUNNED CITY OF VALDOSTA DOES WHAT THEY WANT!"
• Valdosta Daily Times, "Valdosta police agencies frustrate officer-turned-reporter", 2001/01
• Kendrick Johnson case
  • "Kendrick Johnson #OpTitleTown", 2015/01/14 (YouTube copy)
  • Reddit thread from 2016 about the resignations of US attorneys Michael Moore and Steven Dettelbach, both of whom were assigned to reinvestigate Johnson's death (parts 1, 2, 3 of a now-deleted user's comments highlighting various angles of the case)
  • Reddit thread from 2016 arguing that Johnson's death was not in any way mysterious (another post by thread author The_Chairman_Meow stating "Satanic Panic is one of my obsessions")
  • Bell family as suspects
    • WJCL, "UPDATE: Anonymous e-mail sent in Kendrick Johnson's death investigation", 2014/03/21
  • Medical examinations
    • CNN, "Kendrick Johnson's organs missing", 2013/10/09
    • CBS, "Kendrick Johnson Death: Missing organs are reason to suspect foul play in Ga. teen's gym mat death, victim's parents say", 2013/10/11: "a judge agreed in May to exhume the body, and Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson hired Dr. William R. Anderson to provide a second opinion. The private pathologist presented a four-page report of his findings Aug. 15 saying he detected hemorrhaging on the right side of Johnson's neck. He concluded the teenager died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be non-accidental. Johnson's family said Anderson also revealed that most of his internal organs were missing and the body cavity was filled with newspaper. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said Thursday that the agency's policy is to return all organs to bodies after autopsies. [...] "Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home," said Lang, who added that the GBI stands by the conclusions of its autopsy that found no foul play involved. But Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson said many of Johnson's organs were deemed too badly decomposed to be preserved and had to be disposed of before the body was sent to the funeral home. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy," he said. Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled Johnson's body, referred calls to attorney Roy Copeland. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. He also said standard embalming practice is to fill empty space in body cavities with material such as sawdust or cotton."
    • CNN, "What happened to Kendrick Johnson's missing organs?", 2014/01/16
    • Background of pathologist William R. Anderson
      • Orlando Sentinel, "MEDICAL EXAMINER FEELS PRESSURE", 2002/07/04: "The pathologist who ruled that an Orange County Jail inmate died last year from forced methadone withdrawal is accusing county officials of pressuring him to change his diagnosis. Karen Johnson's death on June 7, 2001, became a major issue for Orange County when Dr. William R. Anderson, the county's only board-certified forensic pathologist, determined her death was caused by "precipitous withdrawal from methadone" three days after being booked into jail. Just three years earlier, the county paid a record lawsuit settlement of $3 million to the family of a woman who died from methadone withdrawal at the jail. That prompted promises of widespread changes in the medical unit. Anderson, the chief deputy medical examiner, issued Johnson's cause of death in June 2001. In January, county attorneys attacked his findings. Two months ago, the county's Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation into reports he did private work at the morgue."
  • Security camera footage
    • CNN, "Missing video in teen gym-mat death?", 2013/11/21 - has forensic video analyst Grant Fredericks express his suspicions
• Other noteworthy cases
  • 1966 death of Treasury Department investigator Charles G. Covington a.k.a. Charley Covington in the Valdosta area
    • The Thin Gray Line by T.A. Powell (2009)
    • "Cold Case 10/9/1966 AT&T agent shot to death", 2010/10/11
  • Valdosta Reporter, "Corrupt Police Officer Burkhart under investigation by the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department", 2006/07/26
  • Angelfire website accusing the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office and Valdosta Police Department of being racist - says that officers get 666 tattoos; names Detective Charles Hamrick specifically; claims that the PO box of the the LCSO used to be 666 before changing to 667 and that it still accepts mail at 666
  • Photography is Not a Crime, "Police Chief Believes Journalism Should Protect Blue Wall of Silence", 2016/04/22

Notable personnel

• Charlie Spray
  • Atlanta Constitution, "Valdosta names Charlie Spray chief of police", 1986/01/04: "A police officer once accused of the theft of more than $14,000 from a police recreation fund here was named chief of police Friday. Charlie Spray, 38, a 16-year veteran of the Valdosta Police Department, was one of eight candidates considered by the city for the post vacated by former Police Chief Roy Little. Little resigned his post after only seven months following conflicts with some members of the City Council. Spray, a native of Lanier County, said he feels his familiarity with Valdosta and the derpartment here will give him an advantage two of his predecessors did not have. Spray was indicted in May 1982 on the theft charge, but special prosecutor O. Hale Almand dismissed the charges in November of that year, saying there was nothing to warrant a trial. Spray has since become captain of detectives."
  • Atlanta Constitution, "EX-POLICE CHIEF CHARGED WITH THEFT", 1995/04/15: "Former Valdosta Police Chief Charlie Spray, who resigned this week after being suspended because of his department's handling of a double murder case, has been charged with stealing government surplus property. Spray, 47, was charged with nine felony counts of theft by taking and released on $50,000 bond. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation seized $140,000 worth of property, including vehicles and power generators, from Spray's home April 5, said GBI agent John Pike. Spray faces up to 90 years in prison if convicted on all nine theft counts."
  • Atlanta Constitution, "Former Valdosta police chief gets prison term for theft", 1996/03/06: "Former Valdosta Police Chief Charlie Spray, who was convicted last month of stealing military surplus equipment intended for drug-intervention work, received a five-year sentence Tuesday. Lowndes County Superior Court Judge George A. Horkan Jr. ordered Spray to serve one year in prison and four years on probation. He also was fined $5,000. The former police chief's attorney immediately filed an appeal, a court official said. A jury con- ' victed Spray, 48, last month of theft, two counts of automobile theft and one count of making a false statement in connection with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency-issued property in his personal possession."
  • Florida Times Union, "Valdosta's Ex-Chief Sentenced A Year in Prison, $5,000 Fine for Theft of Surplus Property", 1996/03/06: "Senior Judge George A. Horkan Jr. handed down the sentence, which included four years of probation, saying the decision "ranks among the most difficult things" he's done during his 24 years on the bench. Horkan then granted a motion to allow Spray to remain free on $50,000 bond while appealing the sentence. Assistant Georgia Attorney General Terry Lloyd said he was disappointed in both the sentence and Horkan's decision to grant Spray an appeal bond, which has rarely been given to criminals in Lowndes County over the last 25 years. "In my opinion, I think Charlie Spray should have gone off with the deputy today into the bowels of the jail," Lloyd said. The judge rejected Lloyd's request to have a hearing on the appeal bond and to have Spray's bond set at $100,000. Horkan could not be reached for comment. The first sitting or former Valdosta police chief to be indicted, Spray was convicted Feb. 9 of eight counts of theft by taking and one count of making a false statement on a government document."
  • Florida Times Union, "Ex-Valdosta Chief in Jail", 1997/03/11: "A calm and quiet Charlie Spray surrendered to Lowndes County deputies yesterday as he began serving a one-year prison sentence for theft and perjury. Spray arrived at the county jail about 7:30 a.m. accompanied by his Valdosta attorney, J. Converse Bright, said Lowndes County Sheriff's Capt. David Arnold. The former Valdosta police chief was photographed and fingerprinted, he said, then placed in handcuffs as deputies took him by car to an undisclosed lockup pending his transfer to a state pris on. [...] At 50, Spray becomes the second high-profile local lawman to serve a prison sentence in nearly 22 years. Former Lowndes County Sheriff Jewell L. Futch was sentenced to five years on federal gambling conspiracy charges. In November 1975, he died at age 62, just a few weeks after arriving at a Springfield, Mo., penitentiary. Spray's surrender was arranged Friday after Senior Judge George A. Horkan Jr. signed an order requiring him to begin serving his sentence. The order came three weeks after the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously rejected a review of Spray's case. Still, word of Spray's jailing came as news to some, including Valdosta Mayor James H. Rainwater, a prosecutor in the Georgia Attorney General's Office who battled the appeal, and even the former chief's father. James Spray Sr., 77, said the subject didn't come up when he talked with his son last week. "I guess they got what they wanted now," he said. [...] Spray was indicted on 10 counts of stealing $143,690 in surplus government equipment and falsifying a state form issued under a program created by Congress following the Persian Gulf war to help police fight drug traffickers. Jurors found him guilty of taking such items as a 1.5-kilowatt generator, a half-ton trailer, an air compressor and a 1985 Dodge van."
  • Obituary for James Willie Spray Jr.: "James Willie Spray, Jr., age 62 of West Berrien, died Monday July 4, 2011 in the Tift Regional Medical Center. He was a retired E-7 US Army with 20 years service. He was a Vietnam veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic combat action. Survivors include 2 daughters, Stephanie Borden of Swainsboro and Velvet Michelle Spray of Midville; 2 sons, Jared Avery Spray of the US Marine Corps and John Claude Adams of West Berrien; 2 brothers, Roy Spray of Nashville and Charlie Spray of Valdosta; 6 grandchildren."
  • Gilchrist County Journal, obituary for Virgil Sirmons, 2011/12/22: "Mr. Virgil Sirmons, age 91, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend passed away on December 15, 2011, at Cross City Rehabilitation and Health Care. He was born in Lakeland, Georgia, on September 6, 1920, to Chester and Emma Davis Sirmons. He moved to Cross City in 1952. He worked for Liberty National Life Insurance Company and retired after 30 years. He proudly served his country as a Marine during World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean conflict. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Cross City and was a very active long-time member in the Suwannee River Shrine Club. He was a member of the V.F.W. of Chiefland. He joined the Methodist Church in Cross City in 1952. He loved to serve his church faithfully. He was also an avid Georgia Bulldog fan. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Betty Craven Sirmons of Old Town; his two children, Patricia (Tom) Auvil of Trenton, and Mike (Cindy) Sirmons of Cross City; five grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. A Memorial Service was held at the Cross City United Methodist Church on Monday, December 19, 2011, with Pastor Juan Ramos, Jr., officiating. A beautiful Masonic Service was performed by Masonic friends including his nephew, Charlie Spray, from Valdosta, Georgia."
  • TODO: verify child molestation accusation
• Frank Simons
  • Atlanta Constitution, "Jailhouse hanging sparks GBI inquiry", 1993/07/16: "The GBI is investigating the jailhouse death of a drug suspect who was found hanged in the cell where he was being kept alone, officials said Thursday. Charlie James Davis, 40, was found dead about 15 minutes after he was brought to the Perry jail after his arrest Wednesday night on two counts of selling cocaine. He apparently hanged himself with his pants, tying them to the top of a bunk-bed post, said GBI special agent Jack White. The GBI was called by Perry police to investigate whether there was any wrongdoing, Police Chief Frank Simons said."
  • Valdosta State University, "Chief of Police C. Frank Simons to receive outstanding publicservice award", 2006/03/24
• Donald Cox - deceased husband of Lowndes County Supervisor Deb Cox
  • Obituary for Donald David Cox (September 16, 1950 - October 12, 2004) (tribute wall): "Capt. Donald Cox – 54 Of Valdosta, passed away Tuesday morning October 12, 2004 at his residence after a lengthy illness. Mr. Cox was born in Lanier County and had lived most of his life in Valdosta. He attended Bethany Baptist Church. Mr. Cox served 30 years with the Valdosta Police Department working his way through the ranks from patrol officer to Captain. During his tenure at the VPD, Captian Cox was instrumental in organizing the first ever Citizen’s Police Academy at the VPD. Finishing up his years at the VPD, he served as administrative assistant to the Chief of Police. His Father, William Cox precedes him in Death. Survivors include: Wife Deborah Cox, Valdosta, GA Daughters and Sons-in-law Diane & David Shelby, Jasper, FL Theresa & James Rowland, North Carolina Son Don Cox II, Valdosta, GA Grandsons Kaegan Shelby Andrew Rowland Sisters Marsha McCorkle, Moultrie, GA Cathy Peavy, Moultrie, GA Mother Kathryn Cox, Lakeland, GA"
  • Valdosta Daily Times, "Cox retires after 30 years with Valdosta's police department", 2003/??/??: "Where have all the good men gone? If they are Capt. Donald Cox of the Valdosta Police Department, after 30 years of service the answer is home. [...] Cox is among an elite few who have remained with the VPD for decades. Among those is Commander Johnnie Fason, who has 27 years with the force. [...] As the afternoon wore on and the accolades for a lifetime of service came to an end, Cox stood with his family -- mother Kathyrn Cox, sister Marcia, daughter Diane, her husband David and their child Keagan, wife Deb and son Don. VPD Chief Frank Simons, who has worked with Cox eight years, extended his congratulations and the fact the doors to the VPD are always open to Cox. "Having 30 years and the rank of captain, procedures he started and guidelines he helped institute will continue," Simons said."
  • Valdosta Daily Times, "Capt. Cox honored by Valdosta Police Department", 2003/??/??: "At the regular City Council meeting Thursday night, Cox was presented the badge and firearm by Chief Frank Simons. Cox is the first officer to receive the service award presentation under a new Council order adopted Dec. 18, 2003, which allows any officer who serves 25 years and leaves honorably to be awarded his or her badge and weapon. [...] Cox began his service with the VPD Jan. 11, 1973, and retired Dec. 1, 2003. He served as a patrolman and road patrol supervisor and worked in accreditation, community policing, and crime analysis, according to Lt. Brian Childress, public information officer with the VPD."
  • Deb Cox background
    • Valdosta State University, "Ground Hog Shadow Day Employer Bios": "Deb Cox, Lowndes County Board of Elections Deb Cox is the Supervisor of Elections. She has degrees in disaster management, criminal justice, and psychology and has had prior experience as a therapist and in law enforcement. Combining her studies in psychology and criminal justice, Ms. Cox enjoys criminal profiling as a hobby. She has invested her time as a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Explorer Adult Leader, which allows her to work with, train, and mentor high school and college students seeking employment in law enforcement."
    • Garland Favorito, "Gallegos Case hearing this week in town where Ray Lemme was found dead", 2010/01/12: "I am going to Valdosta this week to provide expert witness testimony in the bizarre case against Laura Gallegos that will be heard on Thursday January 14th at the Lowndes County Courthouse. In this case, a known voting machine defect allowed 947 test votes to be included in the 2008 Lowndes County certified election results. The supervisor never reconciled the voting machine recap votes cast with the poll book registration total voters to detect the error. When the state found the error, the supervisor orchestrated an attempt to place the blame on Logic an Accuracy testing conducted by Mrs. Gallegos, who had nothing to do with the faulty accumulation process that incorporated test votes into election results. [...] my testimony is adversarial to the elections supervisor whose deceased husband was a top official in the Valdosta police department at the time of Ray Lemme’s death."
    • Georgia House Resolution 1714 by Representative Franklin of the 43rd to impeach Secretary of State's office Inspector General Shawn LaGrua: "WHEREAS, Shawn LaGrua's office failed to consider in either or both State Election Board Case No. 2008-000133 and State Election Board Case No. 2010-000007 the validity of Mrs. Gallegos claims that the complaint letter submitted against her by Lowndes County Supervisor, Deb Cox, was in retaliation for two letters of complaint that Mrs. Gallegos had written to the Lowndes County Board of Elections charging verbal abuse against Mrs. Cox;"
• Shannon Floyd
  • Employment records with the VPD - promoted to Forensic Specialist on 2003/07/11, just after Lemme's death
  • 2004/12/10 resignation letter by Shannon Floyd: "Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation as Forensic Specialist/Crime Scene Technician with the Valdosta Police Department. I have accepted a position as the Law Enforcement Program Coordinator with Valdosta Technical College. I will continue to work three weeks with my last day being December 31, 2004."
  • According to the university's announcements page, sometime between 2004/12/04 and 2005/02/05, Floyd joined Valdosta Tech to lead their Criminal Justice program. The faculty directory helps narrow it down further: she isn't listed on 2004/12/17, is listed by 2005/03/11, and is no longer listed by 2006/08/30. For whatever reason, Floyd left the VPD to teach at Valdosta Tech right as the Lemme case was reopened, and then left Valdosta Tech shortly thereafter.
  • Valdosta Daily Times, "Law enforcement officials gather at Valdosta Tech", 2004/12/21
• Eugene Bell
  • Valdosta Daily Times, "Police commander retires", 2015/12/31: "After decades in law-enforcement and the military, Valdosta Police Cmdr. Eugene “Gene” Bell retires his badge this week. [...] Bell will enter retirement after a combined 39 years of service, beginning with the Air Force in February 1976. He joined the Valdosta Police Department in December 1997. “He began working as a Narcotics Detective, and years later, was promoted to the sergeant of the Narcotics Unit,” according to biographical information provided by the VPD. “After working several years in narcotics, Bell was promoted to lieutenant of the Investigations Bureau and eventually to the commander of that bureau. For the past several years, Bell has been the commander of the support services Unit and oversees records, school resource officers, court security, and the Georgia Crime Information Center.” Bell’s final official day with the police department is Thursday, Childress said."
  • LinkedIn profile for Valdosta police commander named Eugene Bell Jr.
• Lynly Penn
  • TODO: find background