PR03-003

Date:

January 24, 2003

 
Two Deputy Weapons Recovered; One Suspect In Custody Facing Charges
 

Two law enforcement weapons were recovered and one suspect is now in custody facing several charges. Last Friday, two deputies assigned to Court Services returned to an office to discover that their duty weapons were missing from where they were stored. Yesterday morning, a suspect identified as William Daniel Carter was taken into custody after attempting to enter the courthouse with one of the weapons.

Deputy Leroy Pena became suspicious of Carter when he attempted to enter the courthouse and pass through security without proper law enforcement credentials. After determining that Mr. Carter was not a certified peace officer, he was placed under arrest and charged with impersonating a peace officer. Deputy Pena, and his supervisor, Sergeant Belinda Poarch, continued their investigation of Mr. Carter which uncovered one of the missing weapons in his briefcase.

William Carter is currently being housed in the Fulton County Jail pending trial. Additional charges include: carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a deadly weapon to a public gathering, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon without a license, and financial transcard theft.

The second missing weapon was recovered this afternoon after deputies from the Fugitive Unit developed solid leads regarding its whereabouts.

The two deputies who reported their weapons missing have been suspended for 30 days, and have been transferred from the Court Services Division.

For more information, please contact Sergeant Clarence Huber at (404) 730-4148. Sergeant Huber can also be reached on his digital pager at (404) 742-6798.