Richmond County deputy fired, arrested over weapon theft

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A deputy was fired and arrested after itting to stealing a knife from a member of the public, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Sean McKenzie was charged with theft by taking and felony violation of oath of office and transported to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center for booking on Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.

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A woman has been arrested in connection to a home fire that left one person dead in Aiken, according to Aiken County Officials.

He stole the knife after responding on Sept. 16 to a complaint at a home, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Upon arrival, a woman said her husband had been making threats and she requested that a weapon be secured for safekeeping.

She provided the deputy with a rifle case containing a rifle and a specialized knife valued at about $300, as confirmed by McKenzie’s body-worn camera footage.

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A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a 38-year-old near Walton Way back in July, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office told us Tuesday.

On Jan. 7, the husband came to retrieve the items.

Upon inspecting the rifle case, he noticed the knife was missing and immediately filed a complaint, according to authorities.

During the investigation, McKenzie itted taking the knife and securing it at his residence, according to deputies.

Following this ission, sheriff’s Chief of Staff Lewis Blanchard terminated McKenzie from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

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Abdallah Rubeah was working at his smoke shop when police say three armed robbers came in and someone shot him.

Deputies obtained criminal arrest warrants and took him to county jail.

“It is always a sad day for law enforcement when one of our own chooses to break the law,” said Sheriff Eugene Brantley, who’s been in office for two weeks after unseating Richard Roundtree, who was sheriff when the theft occurred. “We are committed to transparency and equal enforcement, regardless of whether the individual works for us or any other agency. We extend our apologies to the family involved and hope that our swift action will help restore the trust they placed in us.”