GAINESVILLE – Former Hall County Deputy David Treadwell was sentenced to “a year and a day” in prison, followed by two years of supervised release and a $1000 fine.
Former Hall County Jailer Austin Herring was given a sentence of one year of confinement: six months in prison, six months at home wearing an ankle monitor. Herring’s sentence, like Treadwell’s, was to be followed by two years of supervised release.
Federal Judge Richard Story handed out two similar sentences in U.S. District Court in Gainesville Friday afternoon but called each case unique to itself.
“I could argue for both cases which was the worse but in the end it’s a wash,” Story said during Herring’s sentencing which followed an hour after Treadwell’s.
The cases of Treadwell, 34, of Gainesville and Herring, 20, of Murrayville are unrelated yet they share certain significant common factors.
Herring had been working as a jailer at the Hall County Jail for just a few months when he was arrested in February on federal charges of accepting bribes and attempting to smuggle cocaine to an inmate.
Treadwell, a seven-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Office, was indicted in January on federal charges of accepting bribes to inform a drug dealer if he was being investigated. Treadwell was at that time an investigator himself as a Hall County Deputy.
Two separate cases, two separate arrests, two separate locations and two separate sentencings; unique yet common.
Also common factor to both cases are that both Treadwell and Herring both pleaded guilty to the charges they were facing on the same day, May 12th; both were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William McKinnon; and both were convicted based on a relationship with the same informant.
Story said of Herring’s sentencing, “Every Jailer understands they have the capability to do what Mr. Herring did. You know the effect contraband can have on the residents, the inmates…and those who work there. I feel a sense of responsibility to those men and women who work there.”
Story told Treadwell, “For you to have worn the badge for as many years as you have…there’s a sense of betrayal.”
Both Treadwell and Herring apologized for their actions, acknowledging the harm they had done to their families, their community and to the Sheriff’s Department.
Both Treadwell and Herring waived their right to appeal their sentence as part of their separate plea deals.
Both were told by Judge Story, “I feel confident that you will not repeat your offense,” as he encouraged both men to accept their punishment, learn from their mistakes and live productive lives.
Should Story’s advice be taken to heart, that would be the best similarity of all for two former Hall County Sheriff’s Office employees.
