Sheriff’s deputy repeatedly begs for mercy during DUI arrest and keeps his job

Bibb County sheriff’s Sgt. Charles Anthony Fordham realized his job was on the line when a state trooper questioned him about driving under the influence.

Over the course of an hour, the 22-year veteran of the sheriff’s office continually begged Georgia State Patrol Trooper First Class 2 Michael Brock to let him go, repeatedly resisted commands, was shocked with a stun gun, and required backup officers to finally get him in the patrol car.

Fordham was pulled over on Gray Highway for going 29 mph over the speed limit as he drove his daughter from her high school prom about 10:40 p.m. April 28.

The 45-year-old was about six miles from his home in Jones County when he was clocked going 84 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to the Georgia State Patrol incident report.

The incident was captured on video from the trooper’s patrol car. The Telegraph obtained a copy of the video through an open records request.

“Man, I’m begging you,” Fordham pleaded with Brock, asking him to let his daughter drive him home.

“I’m not losing my job for you,” Brock replied.

“I’ve got almost 23 years on at the sheriff’s office,” Fordham continued.

“I understand that. I’ve got 23 more years to go,” the trooper countered.

“Please don’t destroy my career,” Fordham persisted.

“I didn’t destroy your career,” Brock said.

The state patrolman refused to give the deputy preferential treatment and repeatedly explained that he had to make sure Fordham was “OK to drive.”

“I’m telling you, you’re not going to go scot-free from here, OK? You’re the one out here drinking and driving and the one speeding. You’ve got to be held accountable for what you’re doing, OK?” Brock explained.

Fordham flunked roadside sobriety evaluations, declined to take a preliminary breathalyzer test and became belligerent once the trooper and his cadet trainee tried to handcuff him behind his back. The 6-foot-2 and 280-pound deputy repeatedly tried to put his hands on the hood instead.

Fordham continually complained the handcuffs were too tight but denied he was resisting arrest.

“If I’d a done that, I woulda ran,” he told the trooper.

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis is allowing Fordham to remain on the job due to his exceptional job performance.

The sheriff also cited a precedent for allowing some officers to keep their jobs after violations in their personal vehicles.

The Telegraph reviewed Fordham’s two-inch thick personnel file and found more than a dozen letters of commendation from superiors, judges and the public.

His performance reviews showed he routinely exceeded performance expectations.

“He hasn’t had any type of disciplinary infractions, and he’s always given good service to the office,” Davis said before Fordham was cleared to return to the department on Wednesday.

His record is clean, aside from a 2003 accident in his patrol car where Fordham admitted to going faster than normal due to a call he perceived to be life-threatening in nature.

The investigation showed the deputy had not been adequately trained in emergency driving and was taken off the road for four months and ordered go through remedial training.

Davis said he had reviewed parts of the Georgia State Patrol’s hour-long dashboard video before making his decision.

“It’s never something that you like to see your deputy involved in, and we look at the total situation and his conduct up to this point,” Davis said.

Although the Georgia State Patrol report indicates Fordham was accused of obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers, DUI and speeding, the jail record in his file shows he only was booked on DUI and a traffic offense.

On May 31, Fordham pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI.

He was sentenced to 24 hours in jail with credit for time served, 11 months and 29 days on probation, 40 hours of community service and ordered to pay fines and fees of $1,598, according to court records.

The sheriff suspended Fordham with pay on April 30 pending the internal affairs investigation, which found him to be in violation of the department’s code of conduct and conformance to laws.

After the guilty plea, Davis reprimanded him, suspended Fordham for 20 days without pay, placed him on a year’s probation, denied him the right to work overtime or drive a county vehicle for a year and reassigned him from courthouse security to the jail.

Fordham did not respond to a Telegraph inquiry seeking comment.

On the video, Fordham explained that his wife was working, and he had to go pick up his daughter at the prom.

“I had no choice,” he said.

His account varied as to whether he had two or three Coronas and the time frame he had been drinking.

Early in the traffic stop, Fordham admitted he shouldn’t have been driving.

Later, he explained that he isn’t a drinker and three beers would “tear him up,” but that he was going through some personal issues — something Davis also mentioned.

The struggle to get him into a car to be transported lasted at least 20 minutes, according to the video.

“Ain’t neither one of y’all man enough to put me in there,” he told the trooper and a cadet.

Fordham yelled, “Back off. ... Stop shoving me,” as they tried get him in the vehicle.

At one point, an officer told him not to kick. Although none of that was captured on camera, the audio is clear.

Brock asked for Bibb County deputies to come to the scene to assist.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Fordham asked as the trooper, cadet and a Bibb deputy struggled to get him in the car.

The deputy tried to “drive stun” him, according to the report.

Fordham later told a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy that he had been shocked with a stun gun three times.

In the video, Fordham complained the handcuffs were too tight, which the trooper denied. The cuffs eventually were loosened once more Bibb County sheriff’s deputies arrived.

Fordham also complained about being cramped in Brock’s patrol car and eventually got in a larger Tahoe driven by a member of the Nighthawks Middle Georgia DUI Task Force more than 30 minutes after he had been handcuffed.

At the jail, Brock initiated a breath test, but Fordham refused to blow correctly, the report stated: “He kept exhaling his air outside the tube and blowing his cheeks out pretending to give a sample.”

Fordham’s arrest and conduct is now under investigation by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

“There are some troubling aspects to this case,” POST Executive Director Ken Vance said Friday. “POST will look at all the reports related to the investigation.”

The council could revoke Fordham’s certification, but a decision is not expected before December.