A Columbia County deputy has been fired after his Memorial Day arrest for driving under the influence with a child in the car.
Deputy Adam Fuller, 42, was arrested by the Georgia State Patrol on Monday in the jurisdiction of Columbia County. He was booked in the jail around 8 p.m. Monday on charges of DUI, endangering child under 14 while DUI, speeding and a safety belt violation. He was later released on bond.
Sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris confirmed Friday that Fuller was a deputy and was terminated this week per their policy after the DUI arrest.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office did not issue a press release as they have previously done when a deputy was fired for DUI. In one previous case, the sheriff’s office issued a statement saying the agency was “disappointed” in the officer.
“As we’ve demonstrated in the past, we enforce the law, and in this case enforce our policies no matter who is involved,” Maj. Morris said in a 2012 release. “To have an officer involved in such activity is not only a violation of the law and the public’s trust but also a dishonor to this agency and the deputies who uphold the integrity and honor that goes along with the badge.”
Deputy Fuller’s firing was brought to the media’s attention by the family of an indecent-exposure suspect who said Fuller was the officer involved in their case last week. In that case, suspect Rhett Solomon said he was sleepwalking when he appeared nude in front of a neighbor’s residence. Solomon’s wife said he also suffers from PTSD.
But Maj. Morris said the former deputy’s involvement in that case and subsequent firing shouldn’t jeopardize the prosecution of the case.
Deputy Fuller had left the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office after working there several years, but returned within the last year. He was placed on another probationary period when he returned, like all new employees. Deputy Fuller was fired under that probationary status, Maj. Morris said.
Specific details of the DUI arrest were not immediately available.
