Dalton officer accused of molesting girl

Pictured is Daniel Tolbert, a Dalton Police Officer who was arrested on child molestation charges.
Pictured is Daniel Tolbert, a Dalton Police Officer who was arrested on child molestation charges.

DALTON, Ga. A Dalton police officer is accused of molesting a girl under the age of 10.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations that 32-year-old Daniel Harrison Tolbert kissed the girl, touched her inappropriately and took pictures of her while she slept. Dalton police placed him on administrative leave, and a spokesman for the department said in a statement that the administrators have begun the process of firing him.

The allegations came to light when the girl's mother contacted the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 9. She told a deputy that she found a note written by her daughter that morning, according to an incident report, saying that a relative's "old boyfriend was kissing me and touching me in my private parts and he said not to tell anyone."

The victim's mother said Tolbert had been dating her niece while he applied for a job with the police department. The GBI said in a statement that the molestation occurred at some point before June.

According to a Whitfield County incident report, the victim's mother said that her daughter had been acting violently in the last three months. She also began to spend more time asleep or alone. When her mother tried to ask her what the problem was, the victim became angry.

The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office asked the GBI to investigate the case because Tolbert is a police officer.

Tolbert joined the department after graduating from the police academy in September. In his three months on the force, according to a Dalton police news release, he only worked with experienced officers -- never unsupervised.

"I am very disappointed to hear about this allegation and upset about the discredit this will surely bring on our department and officers," Chief Jason Parker said in a statement. "We would never condone or support the kind of behavior that would warrant this charge. The men and women of this department hold ourselves to a very high standard of behavior, and we know the community we serve expects our behavior to be beyond reproach."

Contact Staff Writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.

Upcoming Events