CARTERSVILLE, GA — A former Cartersville police officer has been arrested after state investigators said money went missing from the department’s evidence room while she worked there as an officer and evidence custodian.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 61-year-old Donna Jean Kelley of Cartersville was taken into custody Sept. 24 and charged with violation of oath, first-degree forgery and felony theft by taking. Investigators said the case centers on money reported missing from the Cartersville Police Department’s evidence room.
The agency has not said how much money is believed to be missing or how Kelley was tied to it. It also has not identified what she is accused of forging.
Cartersville police asked the GBI to investigate missing evidence-room money
The investigation began May 27, when the Cartersville Police Department asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the missing money. The request came after department officials discovered the problem and turned the matter over to state agents.
According to the GBI, Kelley was employed by the Cartersville Police Department at the time as both an officer and an evidence custodian. That role placed her near property held by the department as part of criminal cases and other law enforcement matters.
The GBI has said only that its agents determined Kelley stole money from the evidence room during that period. No additional details about the circumstances of the loss have been released.
Charges include oath violation, forgery and felony theft by taking
Kelley’s arrest brought three felony charges: violation of oath, first-degree forgery and felony theft by taking. She was booked into the Bartow County Jail on Sept. 24, the GBI said.
Under Georgia law, violation of a public officer’s oath can bring a sentence of one to five years. Theft by taking can carry even stiffer punishment when a government employee takes property in breach of official duties, with state law allowing one to 15 years in prison in those circumstances.
First-degree forgery covers knowingly making, altering or possessing a writing with intent to defraud, then using it in a way that falsely represents who made it or had authority to make it. Investigators have not said what document or item Kelley allegedly forged.
The case remains open and will go to prosecutors after the investigation
The GBI said the investigation is still ongoing. Once agents finish their work, the case file will be sent to the Bartow County District Attorney’s Office for review and possible prosecution.
At this stage, the arrest and charges do not amount to a finding of guilt. Kelley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Officials have asked anyone with information about the case to contact the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Calhoun at (706) 624-1424. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS.
GBI says the amount taken has not been disclosed
One of the key unanswered questions is how much money was allegedly stolen. The GBI has not released a dollar amount, and it has not described the evidence that led agents to Kelley.
That lack of detail leaves the public with only the broad outline of the case: a department internal problem, a state investigation and criminal charges against a former employee who worked in a sensitive position.
For now, the arrest marks the most concrete step in a case that began in late May and moved to an arrest in late September, nearly four months later.
What the arrest means for a former law enforcement employee
The accusations are serious because they involve a former police employee accused of taking money from property held as evidence. Cases involving evidence-room losses often raise concerns about chain of custody and public trust in law enforcement handling of seized items.
The GBI has not said whether the missing money was connected to a specific criminal case or whether any other items were affected. It has also not said whether anyone else is under scrutiny.
For Kelley, the arrest means facing felony allegations in Bartow County while the broader investigation continues. For Cartersville police, it closes one phase of the matter, but the process of determining exactly what happened is not finished.