Investigators to present evidence against Varnell police chief accused of sharing unencrypted radio

Lyle Grant placed on paid administrative leave

Staff photo by Tim Barber/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Feb 1, 2013 - Varnell Chief of Police Lyle Grant stands outside his temporary police headquarters.
Staff photo by Tim Barber/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Feb 1, 2013 - Varnell Chief of Police Lyle Grant stands outside his temporary police headquarters.

Update at 7:22 p.m.: Dickson said the city has placed Grant on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the grand jury hearing. Greg Fowler will serve as the city's interim police chief.

___

Update at 5:45 p.m.: Varnell Mayor Tom Dickson said he is not sure whether Poston's announcement this evening will influence the city's decision about Grant's job status.

"He does a good job," Dickson said. "He certainly made a mistake here. It may be open to some question about whether it's a criminal act or not. I believe him when he says there was no intent to break any laws. But the fact that it's going to the grand jury means we need to do a little more thought about what we do [with his job status]."

The council's next scheduled meeting is May 21. Grant did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

___

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will present potentially criminal evidence against Varnell Police Chief Lyle Grant during a Whitfield County grand jury hearing May 30, District Attorney Bert Poston said today.

Grant is under investigation for giving an unencrypted police radio to Robert Wesley Cummings, the owner of Bob's Wrecker Service. In March, a source tipped off investigators with the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office, which began looking into the incident.

The county bought the radio for $5,200, and Grant did not get permission to share the equipment, according to the report. Before turning the case over to the GBI, an investigator wrote that Grant could be on the hook for charges of theft by conversion and reckless conduct.

After news of the investigation broke, Grant's status with the city did not change. Multiple members of the city council told the Times Free Press in March that they wanted to see what Poston and the GBI did before making a decision about Grant's status as police chief.

"We don't know what the actual charge will be," Councilman David Owens said at the time. "We don't know if it will be dismissed. We don't know if it will go to court or trial. We don't know anything."

Upcoming Events