Former Oglethorpe County Jail Deputy Arrested for Inappropriate Conduct and Contraband

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested Zachariah Smith, a 33-year-old former jailer with the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office, on charges of Items Prohibited for Possession by Inmates and Violation of Oath of Office.

The arrest follows a request for investigation from the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office on October 8, 2024, after reports emerged from other jailers about Smith’s inappropriate conduct with a female inmate. The GBI’s investigation confirmed that Smith engaged in inappropriate behavior with the inmate and provided her with contraband in early October 2024.

Smith was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Oglethorpe County Jail. The case file will be forwarded to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens, GA, at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at the GBI website, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.