MACON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia sheriff has fired a deputy, more than a year after the district attorney told the sheriff's office that the deputy lied about a jailer committing a crime.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis fired former deputy of the year and investigator of the year Nicholas Denny on Oct. 15, WMAZ-TV reports. That information came to light this week as Kendrell Daniely, the man Denny testified against, sues the sheriff and Denny in federal court for violating his civil rights.
Denny swore out warrants and testified that Daniely, a jailer for the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, had given a rifle to an inmate who was his brother. Denny said both brothers were members of an offshoot of the Crips street gang. Daniely was arrested for violating his oath of office and criminal street gang activity in April 2023.
District Attorney Anita Howard dropped the charges against Daniely in October 2023 after concluding that Denny had lied. She says she will no longer prosecute cases that rely solely on Denny’s testimony because he is not credible.
Lawyers who are defending Denny in the civil case did not respond to emails Saturday seeking comment. Denny has denied wrongdoing in court filings.
In Denny's termination letter, Davis writes that his grand jury testimony doesn't match recorded interviews with Daniely.
“These discrepancies illustrate either a willful or negligent misstatement of facts,” the letter reads.
Daniely says Denny had him arrested while he was undergoing training at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth to become a Henry County police officer. Henry County fired Daniely shortly thereafter.
“The fact that you put forth the effort to arrange for Mr. Daniely’s arrest at a location that would cause embarrassment and cause disruption to a law enforcement training class demonstrates a degree of malice not appropriate to law enforcement,” Davis wrote in Denny’s termination letter.
Howard told WMAZ-TV she is not sure why Davis waited a year to fire Denny.
“Sheriff Davis and his team had access to sufficient information immediately upon notification of our concerns to make an informed disciplinary decision regarding Mr. Denny," Howard wrote. "The sheriff did not need to wait for my investigation or for any of my documentation.”
Davis, though, said he didn't seriously consider firing Denny until August 2024 after receiving transcripts and a letter detailing Howard's investigation. He said he and Howard then called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“It takes time to get all of the things together that we need to make an informed decision,” Davis said.
Davis said Denny served in a “modified role” over the past year and could not act as a lead investigator on any criminal case. He said the GBI is still considering criminal charges against Denny. Howard said she also reported Denny to the state agency that certifies law enforcement officers.
