Pickens County chief deputy facing criminal charges

PICKENS COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI )- First, it was the sheriff, and now a second lawman is under fire.

Investigators in Alabama said the chief deputy of Pickens County has been arrested on criminal charges.

Chief Deputy Jonathan Gann is in the hot seat after the State Bureau of Investigation arrested him Tuesday night.

He has been charged with theft of property in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence.

District Attorney Andy Hamlin said the Picken County Sheriff Todd Hall brought up his concerns last week.

After further discussion, it appeared a full investigation was needed.

“The information was in regard to certain impropriety’s that could constitute criminal acts that had been carried out by Chief Deputy Gann. We discussed those matters and determined that an investigation was warranted,” said Hamlin.

But that investigation had to be handled outside of Pickens County.

“It came to a point where we needed to ask for an independent investigation he requested the state SBI get involved,” said Sheriff Hall.

Investigators said while an arrest has been made the investigation isn’t over.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of justice. This is a very fluid ongoing investigation, so there is very limited details outside of the actual charges and what they imply,” said Capt. Jason Roberts.

This is the second law enforcement officer in Pickens County to find himself behind bars. And that can take a toll on residents.

“Really, my feelings are sad us whether he’s guilty or not, I will not judge, but it is sad to have a public figure go down like that,” said Charles Ashcraft.

Many of the residents we talked to today didn’t want to go on camera but weren’t surprised about the arrest.