ENIGMA, Ga. (WALB) - A South Georgia police chief is seeking legal action after he says he was unlawfully and wrongfully terminated.

Tony Perkins was hired as chief of police for the town of Enigma in July 2025.

At the council meeting on Nov. 11, Perkins was released of his chief duties. According to Perkins, Mayor Wayne Chin, councilmembers Dennis Pitts, Rick Maluda and Ronald Harbin voted in executive session to release him as of Nov. 12.

The separation notice states:

“Officer Perkins removed the radar, valued at over $1,000, from another vehicle in the police department, and traded it to another department without the knowledge nor approval of Enigma City Council.”

Perkins says he received the separation notice the day after he requested it, and he began seeking legal action on Nov. 18.

“We are still going over some of the facts of previous things that happened. [Perkins’ attorney] is familiar with what happened back in October, he is using that as grounds also,” Perkins said.

Back in October, Perkins arrested the former acting Mayor Doug Webb, councilman Harbin and city clerk Latasha Luke after he says he found a tracking device on his patrol vehicle.

Perkins said this all came after the three allegedly coerced someone into putting a tracker on his city vehicle, which is against the law.

“We are just at the beginning stages of this, but this process is nowhere near over yet...and I’m going to seek justice... in the best fulfillment that the law requires,” Perkins said.

After the election on Nov. 4, residents said they believed that there would be a fresh start with a new mayor and council member, but one Enigma resident, Pam White, says it already feels like not much has changed.

“It’s the mayor’s place to be the spokesperson for the citizens because we have the right to know what’s going on. And with everything up in the air with all the other charges, you know, that was taken out on the council members and city clerk and things like that,” White said. “It just doesn’t look good with all this going on and the transparency not being there.”

WALB attempted to contact Enigma’s Mayor Wayne Chin and two of the three council members that were present for the vote following the Nov. 11 meeting, but we have not heard back.

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