Suspended sheriff indicted for violating oath of office

Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols is seen here in the mug shot taken at the Rabun County Detention Center on Friday, May 31, 2024.Photo byRabun County Detention Center

The Rabun County Grand Jury indicted Sheriff Chad Nichols on a felony charge of violating his oath of office, according to a news release from the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

The indictment, handed down Wednesday, alleges Nichols made inappropriate contact with a woman without her consent and exposed himself to her on May 21. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated allegations that Nichols committed criminal acts near the Rabun County Board of Elections while waiting for voting to end.

The DA’s office says that the alleged conduct violates Nichols’ oath of office, which he took in December 2020.

On June 14 of this year, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Nichols for sixty days over the alleged incident. Kemp extended Nichols’ suspension by an additional 30 days on August 12.

Nichols is now awaiting an arraignment date.

The two-term sheriff, who previously served as chief of police for the city of Baldwin, was running for re-election in Rabun County at the time of the alleged incident. Challenger Mark Gerrells, a former deputy, defeated him in the runoff after the allegations against Nichols came to light.

Nichols was booked into the Rabun County Detention Center last month by his own deputies. Chief Superior Court Judge Russell Smith appointed Chief Deputy Elizabeth Darnell to fulfill the sheriff’s duties during Nichols’ suspension.

Gerrells is expected to be sworn in as sheriff in January.