Sheriff: School Police, GBI Handling Bacon County School Incident

BACON COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) — The Bacon County Sheriff’s Office says it is not involved in a recent incident involving a Bacon County School District employee and has not been asked to assist.

In a statement, Sheriff Andy Batten said that as of October 10, 2026, his office “has not been notified of this incident or contacted for assistance regarding the matter.”

Batten explained that the Bacon County Board of Education has its own police department made up of certified law enforcement officers, and that agency handles incidents within its jurisdiction. He said law enforcement agencies typically do not step into another agency’s investigation unless they are requested to do so.

The sheriff added that the GBI “typically” becomes involved when asked by a law enforcement agency or the district attorney. He said he has no reason at this time to believe the school system is mishandling the investigation and therefore no reason to interject his office.

Batten said his goal in posting about the matter was to be transparent and answer why the Sheriff’s Office is not involved. He encouraged anyone with further questions to contact him at the Sheriff’s Office rather than rely on social media.

In a separate statement, the Bacon County School District said it became aware of an incident involving a district employee and “immediately conducted an internal investigation, which resulted in the employee’s termination.”

The district says the incident was reported to the district’s police department and is “currently under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,” with the district “fully cooperating with the investigation.”

The GBI has not yet provided additional details to the station after indicating it would follow up.