Aug-11-07
Towns County Georgia isn’t the kind of place anyone expects to
hear the sounds of drive-by-shootings and certainly not the kind of
place where deputy sheriffs act as trigger men. Now one of the accused
deputies has apparently taken his own life, and Sheriff Rudy
Eller is free on bail.
The GBA says part-time deputy Jesse Gibson
was the driver July 9 when Towns County Chief Deputy Eddie Osborn
fired gunshots into the home of Gary Dean. According to a GBA
affidavit, Dean was "involved in an ongoing intimate relationship"
with Osborn's wife.
Gibson, 56, and Osborn, 41, were charged with
aggravated assault and Sheriff Eller was later charged with lying to
state investigators and hiding evidence to protect his employees.
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Sheriff Rudy Eller |
Sheriff Eller turned himself in to GBI agents in neighboring White
County Tuesday, July 31. He faces charges of tampering
with evidence, making false statements, obstruction, hindering the
apprehension of a criminal, and violation of his oath of office.
Eller is accused of lying
and hiding a gun allegedly used by Chief Deputy Eddie Osborn and
Deputy Jesse Gibson to shoot up the house of Osborn's wife's lover.
The GBA affidavit states Eller first said he had cleaned Osborn's gun
and had held it for several months, but later changed his story. He
said he was given the gun by Osborn on July 9, the day of the
shooting, and hid the gun barrel in a secret compartment in a dresser.
After GBI investigators recovered the gun barrel, Eller admitted he
had known from the beginning who had done the shooting.
Eller was released on $250,000 bond last week and has said he has no
plans to resign. But Towns County Investigator Robert Kern told
reporters that Eller has not come to work in three weeks, and said
there was no telling whether he would return.
Gibson's body was found outside his home late Wednesday with what
police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He left a
tape-recorded message for his family that was turned over to state
authorities as evidence.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has named a three-person panel to investigate
charges and recommend whether Eller should resume his duties. District
Attorney Stan Gunter has announced plans to take the case to the grand
jury next month.
Former Towns County Sheriff
Rudy Roach, who lost to Eller in 1996, said the charges against the
current sheriff "gives law enforcement a black eye. ... It's
unfortunate that things like this happen. It's just a bad situation."
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