WORTH COUNTY, Ga. -- A Georgia sheriff and two deputies are now facing charges after being indicted by a Grand Jury on Tuesday.
NBC affiliate WALB reports that Worth County Sheriff Jeff Hobby is being charged with violation of oath by a public officer, two counts of false imprisonment under color of law and one count of sexual battery.
The indictment says that the sheriff violated the terms of his oath by ordering deputies to search students at Worth County High School in April without probable cause or any other legal basis - and without due process.
The sheriff countered that as long as a school administrator was present, the search was legal.
However, a group of parents disagreed and filed the suit.They also filed suit against deputies Tyler Turner and Deidra Whiddon.
Both face violation of oath and Turner also faces a charge of sexual battery.
Overall, WALB reports that the grand jury reviewed 36 accusations and dismissed 24 of them while tabling six others.
The tabled and dismissed items can be brought before a future grand jury.
The station spoke with the executive director of Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) in Georgia, Ken Vance, who said that the certification of the sheriff and deputies would be suspended while the case is still pending.
That means they can't arrest but can perform other administrative duties.
Read WALB's full story: bit.ly/2xSBIRp
