Bacon County Sheriff addresses federal operation, releases timeline of events

ALMA, Ga. (WTOC) - Bacon County Sheriff Andy Batten is speaking out after confirming a federal operation conducted in the county earlier this week was carried out by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Bacon County Sheriff’s Office said it was neither involved in nor aware of the operation, which took place Wednesday morning.

In an effort to clear up what he described as “confusion” surrounding the incident and to remain transparent with residents, Batten released a statement outlining details of the operation and a timeline of events.

See Batten’s full statement below:

In an effort to help clear up confusion surrounding the federal operation conducted earlier this week, I would like to provide the following information to the citizens of Bacon County.

On Wednesday morning, May 20, shortly after 6:00 a.m., I became aware of a federal operation taking place in Bacon County. Local law enforcement was not notified before the operation and was not involved in its planning or execution.

After gathering the information available to me at the time, I chose to release a social media statement informing the public that there was no reason for alarm and no threat to public safety. I also made it clear that local law enforcement was not involved and therefore did not have additional details regarding the operation.

The purpose of that statement was to help prevent false narratives and unnecessary panic within our community. Unfortunately, as often happens on social media, speculation quickly spread and led to numerous inaccurate and degrading comments.

This raises an important question: Is it better to say nothing at all?

At approximately 6:07 a.m., Bacon County Dispatch received a call from an agent with the Department of Homeland Security advising that federal agents would be operating at a location on Meadow Road and would not require assistance.

Dispatch notified me of the call. At that time, it did not raise immediate concerns, as federal agencies occasionally conduct inspections involving immigrant workers.

At approximately 6:12 a.m., Bacon County Dispatch received a call from a resident in the Meadow Road area asking why a helicopter was flying over their residence. That call immediately raised concerns, and I proceeded to the area to investigate.

At approximately 6:25 a.m., I arrived at the location where the operation was taking place and spoke with a federal agent who informed me that they were executing a federal search warrant related to an administrative investigation. He stated that he could not provide additional details regarding the investigation.

The agents were operating under a valid federal search warrant, and legally, I could not interfere with the operation or become more intrusive. Had I attempted to interfere, I could have been arrested for obstruction of a federal investigation. While I was understandably frustrated by the lack of communication, I chose to remain composed and address the matter through the appropriate channels.

As Proverbs 29:11 states: “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Immediately afterward, I began working through established channels of communication to speak with leadership from the agencies involved in order to determine the nature of the investigation and why local law enforcement had not been notified beforehand.

Since then, I have spoken with numerous leaders from several federal agencies and learned that the failure to notify my office was an oversight, as one agency believed another agency had handled the notification process. While I was frustrated at the outset due to the lack of communication, I also understand that mistakes can occur, especially when multiple agencies are involved in a large investigation.

Regarding the question many people continue to ask — what does the investigation involve? I reiterate my original statement: this is a federal investigation, and because local law enforcement was not involved in the operation, we do not have detailed information regarding the case.

I can confirm that, based on my most recent conversations with federal leadership, this remains an active and ongoing administrative fraud type investigation. I have been informed that key details cannot be released to the public at this time, including me as well.

I have also been advised that this is not an immigration roundup, does not involve a violent crime, and is not related to any investigation involving local government officials or elected representatives.

As your Sheriff, I take my responsibility to serve and protect our community very seriously. That is why I was personally on scene within approximately 20 minutes investigating the situation.

My office strives to remain transparent and keep the public informed as much as possible. However, there are times when law enforcement cannot release critical information because investigations remain active and ongoing. And social media is not the appropriate venue for trying cases or spreading speculation. In this instance, information related to the investigation cannot be released to the media or to agencies not directly involved in the case.

While I cannot provide the specific nature of this federal investigation because those details have not been shared with me, I can assure the citizens of Bacon County that our community is safe and there is no reason for alarm.

I hope this statement helps address some of the rumors and answers at least a portion of the questions I have received over the past several days.

Thank you, and God bless.

Sheriff Andy Batten