A recently retired Hall County School Resource Officer, who allegedly made unauthorized purchases with a school system credit card, used the card to buy guns, county Schools Supt. Will Schofield said Saturday.
Earlier this week, the Hall County Sheriff's Office and the GBI confirmed that Lt. Earl Roach, the former coordinator for the Hall County School District's School Resource Officer (SRO) program, is under investigation for improper use of a school system credit card.
Sheriff Gerald Couch issued a prepared statement saying the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate whether Roach made purchases with the credit card without following proper procedure.
"Earl Roach retired from the Sheriff’s Office School Resource Program on February 29th, 2016, after an extended leave," the statement from the sheriff said. "On March 4th, after Roach’s retirement, the Hall County School System notified the Sheriff’s Office that they had conducted an audit and discovered numerous missing and unauthorized items which had been purchased by Roach using a school system credit card. The Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal investigation into the matter and subsequently requested an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation."
At the time, specifics about the alleged misuse of the card were not revealed but Saturday Schofield, who declined comment earlier this week, issued what he called an "update" on the matter.
He said "Upon his separation from the Hall County Sheriff’s Department, the Hall County School District performed a routine audit pertaining to equipment that Officer Earl Roach had purchased with Hall County School District funds while serving as the head of the School Resource Officer program. This is standard operating procedure for individuals who have had purchasing rights. During the course of the audit, it came to our attention that, in addition to standard electronic safety and surveillance equipment, Officer Roach had purchased multiple firearms that were not within the scope of our district security plans. All non-consumable equipment has been returned and accounted for."
Schofield added "Our district will surplus and liquidate the firearms. Any technology equipment not currently being utilized for safety and security will be re-purposed within the instructional program of the school district."
Roach had been employed with the Hall County Sheriff's Office since September 9, 1991, according to Hall County employment records.
Attempts to reach Roach by cell phone earlier this week for comment were unsuccessful.
(AccessWDUN's B.J. Williams contributed to this story.)
