A Houston County deputy is facing termination after leaving an offensive comment on a news station's Facebook post about the Ahmaud Arbery murder case.
In a letter obtained by 13WMAZ, Sheriff Cullen Talton notified Deputy Paul Urhahn that he was suspensed without pay pending termination over the controversial remark he left on the Facebook post. Talton noted the decision was reached following an internal affairs investigation.
'Arbery Got the Death Penalty Though'
Arbery's killing made national news almost two years ago after a cellphone video showed the 25-year-old unarmed Black man being gunned down by three white men in Brunswick, Georgia. His killers were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month, after having been convicted of his murder in November 2021.
Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 20 years. Meanwhile, William "Roddie" Bryan was sentenced to life in prison with parole.
"That criminal Arbery still got the death penalty though," Urhahn wrote in the comments section of a Facebook post by local news outlet WGXA on the sentencing. His comment was later deleted but not before screenshots of the comment were already taken and shared with the Houston County Sheriff's Office, prompting an investigation that concluded Monday morning.
Urhahn Violated Multiple Policies
According to Talton, Urhahn was found to have been in violation of the following policies:
Page 5 (4A) - An officer must at all times, on and off duty, conduct him/herself in a manner which does not bring discredit to the department or county.
Page 5 (4B) - Conduct unbecoming of an officer shall include that conduct
(2) Which has a tendency to destroy public respect for employees and confidence in the department.
According to the letter, Urhahn, can appeal within 10 days from Monday. If he doesn't, his termination will be effective as of January 20, 2022.
