Habersham detention officer fired, arrested, for policy violations

Alexander Wade Hardaway, 30, of Alto, has been terminated from his position as a Habersham County Detention Officer and is under investigation by the Habersham County Sheriff’s OFfice and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to a statement released yesterday by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Hardaway’s employment was terminated on Friday, Sept. 29, for alleged misconduct, and was taken into custody yesterday, Oct. 2, on the initial charge of false statement and writings. No details were released regarding the specifics of the charges. 

Habersham Sheriff Joey Terrell said his officers not only must uphold the law, but that he expects them to hold themselves to a higher standard.

He said, “Any breach of trust or misconduct by my personnel will not be tolerated,” and added that Hardaway’s termination was “due to policy violations.”

Lt. Amber Chastain, who oversees the sheriff’s office detention center in Clarkesville, stated, “We take allegations of this nature very seriously and immediately involve the GBI to determine whether the law was broken.”

According to the issued statement, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating fully with GBI investigators to ensure a thorough and impartial inquiry into the matter, and stated that any further information on the case will be released by the GBI.