THOMAS COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) - Former Thomas County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) Chief Deputy Ron James is accused of trading departmental weapons, dating back to 2018, to support his drug addiction, according to new investigative documents released to WCTV.

The sheriff’s office requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to look into the matter, which resulted in James being charged with nine counts of theft by taking and one count of violation of the office, dating back to 2018, Sheriff Tim Watkins revealed.

The news comes nearly three weeks after WCTV previously reported that James was booked into the Thomas County Jail on May 29 following allegations that the former chief deputy had stolen multiple TCSO firearms.

GBI was asked by Sheriff Watkins in early April to investigate the matter, resulting in James being charged with Theft by Taking and Violation of Oath of Office.

Through records requests, WCTV obtained multiple documents that revealed additional details from the TCSO investigation, including accusations that former Chief Deputy James was using methamphetamine and exchanging TCSO firearms in 2018 to support his drug habit. WCTV also obtained documents from the GBI’s investigation and James’ formal resignation notice.

A “Thomas County Personnel Action Form” detailed what led the sheriff’s office to accuse James of violating the oath of office. According to the document, Sheriff Watkins was notified of a video on March 26 of James using what appeared to be “a methamphetamine smoking device at his residence while off duty in Thomasville.”

Sheriff Watkins then confronted James in reference to the footage while also allowing James to view it, the action form revealed. At that moment, James admitted to Watkins that he had an addiction to prescription medication Adderall and requested intervention from the county’s Employee Assistance Program, the document revealed.

After being asked about the smoking device observed in the video, the action form stated that James claimed to be smoking THC and not methamphetamines. The former chief deputy was then ordered to provide a urine sample for narcotics testing at an urgent care facility.

After providing a sample for testing at an urgent care facility, the document stated that James was subsequently followed to his home.

His department vehicle was driven back to the sheriff’s office, where authorities discovered “another device commonly used for smoking methamphetamines” under the passenger’s seat. This device was tested by the TCSO’s Narcotics Division and returned a positive result for methamphetamines.

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Days later on March 30, Sheriff Watkins and Captain Chuck McDonald met with county officials to reveal what they’d learned about James, according to the action form.

That same day, the document wrote that Lieutenant Kevin Dennis also advised Watkins about possible TCSO firearms “that had been given to an ex-employee by Major James without the current or former Sheriff’s knowledge.” Lt. Dennis then contacted the former employee and was able to retrieve five firearms that the former employee stated were provided to him by James in exchange for Adderall.

WCTV is not naming the former employee because he is no longer a public employee and has not been charged with a crime.

In early April, Sheriff Watkins met with county commissioners, informing them of what had been discovered during TCSO’s internal investigation, according to the document.

The county commission requested that Watkins reach out to the GBI for assistance in investigating the possible missing property belonging to the TCSO. Additionally, they instructed that James be removed from medical leave status and placed on administrative leave without pay until the GBI completes its investigation.

WCTV obtained documentation from the sheriff’s office showing that James was recommended to be placed on administrative leave without pay, effective April 14.

However, James resigned before the GBI investigation was completed, according to Sheriff Watkins. WCTV obtained James’ formal notice of resignation to Sheriff Watkins, which revealed that James stated that his resignation is “by far the hardest thing” he had to do for his employment.

“This decision has not easily. Serving this community and this agency for the past 33 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Due to the circimstances surrounding recent events and their impact on my health, my family and my ability to continue serving effectively, I believe it is my best interest to step down. Continue getting the assistance I need without any roadblocks. I am proud of the work I have down and the relationships I have built over the course of my career. I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served the citizens of Thomas County.”

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