North Georgia Sheriff, Deputy Indicted for Misconduct, False Reporting in 2024 Incident

Former Towns County deputy Austin Bradburn was indicted after a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe concluded he shot himself during a Dec. 13, 2024 traffic-stop incident and then filed a false report; a Towns County grand jury returned multiple counts against him, including four counts of false report, two counts of making a false statement and one count of violating his oath of office. Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson for 60 days as an independent panel and the attorney general investigated allegations that Henderson interfered with the response; Henderson was later indicted on seven charges tied to a physical confrontation with Hiawassee Police Officer José Carvajal. Body‑camera footage obtained by Atlanta News First shows Carvajal, a combat veteran who applied a tourniquet and tried to secure evidence, being confronted, grabbed and ultimately arrested by Henderson after disputes over handling a weapon. Appalachian Circuit District Attorney Frank Wood presented the cases to the grand jury following the GBI’s independent investigation, which produced the charges against Bradburn and prompted consideration of charges against Henderson.