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Tuesday, Dec. 01, 2009

Cochran police chief resigns from office

Cochran Police Chief Jon Thrower, whose department has been under joint investigation by the GBI and FBI in recent months because of allegations of officers’ misconduct, has resigned, the town’s mayor said Monday.

Mayor Gene Towns said Thrower submitted a letter of resignation more than a week ago and that Thrower officially turned in his badge the day after Thanksgiving.

“He didn’t give a reason other than when I talked to him by phone, he said he was just tired and disgusted of the accusation and innuendoes of what he was guilty of and wasn’t guilty of,” Towns said.

“If you know anything about a small town, gossip is cheap. ... They can blow it out of proportion in a second.”

Thrower’s top assistant, Key McGuire, will serve as interim chief, the mayor said.

Thrower was an officer on the 15-member force in the Bleckley County seat for two stints for more than a decade and a half, the last four years as chief, Towns said.

In August, the GBI and FBI began probing allegations that stemmed from a 2008 investigation of two former Cochran police officers who were working as part-time officers in Pineview, located about 30 miles southwest of Cochran.

The officers were charged with enticing a child and interfering with custody.

One of the officers was subsequently convicted of violation of oath of office and sentenced to five years on probation, the GBI said. The second officer’s case still is being adjudicated.

In late August, a Cochran officer resigned and was arrested on charges of conspiracy to sell a controlled substance and violation of his oath of office.

That same month, the GBI secured a search warrant and seized personnel records from Cochran City Hall.

Information from The Telegraph archives is included in this report.

To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397.