MEIGS, GA (WALB) - A south Georgia police department is under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The Thomas County DA's office requested the probe into the Meigs police department's spending and use of equipment.
The police chief is stepping down, but the Mayor says the chief has done a good job and his resignation is not connected to the investigation.
Meigs Mayor Andrew Wurst says when he took office two years ago, the city was in shambles. "I came into a dysfunctional community that was about to be turned over to the county. And the jury is still out on that."
Per request of the Thomas County DA's office, the GBI began probing the city's police department.
Officials suspect Chief Tom Close of using city funds for personal use.
Close took the position as chief in March of 2010. "He never was intending to be here permanently. He came and offered to rebuild the police department and he's done exactly what he's promised to do," said Wurst.
Wurst says since he took the position, Close has been commuting from his home in McDonough, some 200 miles from Meigs.
Officials say he uses a Meigs police vehicle for the commute.
Wurst says Close has already turned in his letter of resignation. "His qualifications are far more than what we could afford to continuously keep an officer of that caliber."
Wurst says due to unexpected massive water problems they've had to lay off five city employees. "This means we'll have to start basically from square one to bring the community back up."
Wurst says there a lot of things they have put in place to bring the community back to working order. He says they knew that 30 years of neglect would not be rebuilt in two years.
Wurst says Chief Close plans to leave the department within 60 to 90 days.
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