A Henry County Sheriff’s deputy found himself on the other end of the handcuffs this week. Nicholas Cheek of Abbeville is now facing multiple felony charges after being arrested by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation on May 30.
Cheek had worked for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office since 2008 until he was terminated following his arrest. Henry County Sheriff William Maddox said that there had been some complaints filed against Cheek regarding stolen property, including prescription medication and three handguns. “He’d made some traffic stops and taken some things away from people. The handgun that was taken in March was still in his patrol vehicle. I don’t know what his intentions were, but it should’ve been turned in,” said Maddox.
Cheek was charged with four felony counts of second-degree theft of property and felony intimidating a witness. Allegedly, one of the handgun thefts occurred in 2009, when Cheek responded to a domestic violence call. Two of the charges are linked to a traffic stop made in March, during which Cheek allegedly seized prescription medication and a handgun. Cheek did not arrest the driver, but kept the contraband.
Maddox says that he has never had to fire a deputy before due to pending criminal charges, and says, “As a sheriff, we all have nightmares about it, and it makes me sick to my stomach to have to deal with it.” He goes on to say, “We have let deputies go for policy violations, but it’s the first time I’ve had one criminally charged.”
To read the original article, click here.
