Three Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputies Arrested, Fired for Misuse of License Plate Reader System

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Three members of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office have been arrested and terminated following an investigation into the unauthorized use of the agency’s license plate reader system for personal reasons.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced that its Criminal Investigation Division concluded an investigation involving 48-year-old Lt. John McKenzie, 43-year-old Investigator Curtis Hoskins and 30-year-old Deputy Joshua Johnson. All three were arrested and booked on Monday, July 20, 2026.

According to investigators, all three knowingly accessed the Flock License Plate Reader (LPR) system to search license plate numbers for reasons unrelated to official law enforcement duties.

The sheriff’s office said the searches were conducted for personal reasons and were not connected to any criminal investigation, call for service, intelligence gathering or any other legitimate law enforcement purpose.

As a result of the investigation, McKenzie, Hoskins and Johnson were each charged with misuse of license plate readers and violation of oath of office.

Authorities said all three deputies surrendered at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center following the issuance of the charges.

The investigation also found the deputies violated multiple Richmond County Sheriff’s Office policies, including the unauthorized access and misuse of law enforcement databases and information systems, conduct unbecoming a member of the agency and ethical obligations associated with the oath of office.

Officials said the Flock License Plate Reader system is authorized only for legitimate law enforcement purposes and that any personal use or unauthorized access is prohibited.

Following the investigation, all three deputies were terminated from their positions with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Eugene Brantley said the agency remains committed to accountability and investigating allegations of employee misconduct.

The criminal investigation remains ongoing, and authorities said no additional details will be released at this time.