Hiawassee Volunteer Firefighter Arrested for Falsified Records and Computer Forgery

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested 55-year-old Jerry Wayne Canterbury of Hiawassee, Georgia, on two counts of Misdemeanor False Statements or Falsified Records and one count of Felony Computer Forgery.

The investigation began on December 12, 2024, after the GBI was requested to investigate a theft involving Canterbury, a volunteer firefighter with Towns County. During the investigation, evidence revealed that Canterbury had falsified documents related to the Firefighter Pension Fund and committed computer forgery.

Canterbury was arrested on March 17, 2025, and booked into the Towns County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile application.

Once the investigation is complete it will be turned over to the Enotah Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.