Richmond County Deputy Arrested, Fired for Misusing License Plate Reader System

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested and fired after investigators determined he improperly accessed the agency’s automated license plate reader system for personal reasons.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced that the misconduct was discovered during a routine audit of its Flock License Plate Reader (LPR) camera system conducted on June 25.

According to investigators, the audit revealed that Deputy Jaquarius Yarbrough had accessed the Flock system outside the scope of his official law enforcement duties. The matter was immediately referred to the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division.

Investigators determined that Yarbrough, who was assigned to the Transportation Division and did not have an authorized law enforcement need to use the system as part of his assigned duties, conducted multiple searches involving at least one license plate over a 28-day period.

The investigation concluded that the searches were conducted for personal reasons and were not related to any legitimate law enforcement purpose.

Yarbrough was arrested and booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center on two felony charges: Violation of Oath of Office and Prohibition on Law Enforcement Retaining License Plate Data Obtained from Automated License Plate Recognition Systems.

The sheriff’s office also announced that Yarbrough’s employment has been terminated.

“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining the public’s trust through accountability and transparency,” the agency said in a statement. “Any misuse of law enforcement resources or violation of the public’s trust will be thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”

The investigation remains active, and no additional information has been released.