Former Giles County Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted Following Investigation

A former Giles County Sheriff’s deputy has been indicted on multiple charges following an investigation involving allegedly inconsistent courtroom testimony related to a taser deployment.

According to the Giles County Sheriff’s Office, Stetson Thomas resigned on July 31 during the early stages of the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office requested that 22nd Judicial District Attorney General Brent Cooper’s Office conduct a full investigation and also asked the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to begin decertification proceedings.

The case was presented to a Giles County Grand Jury on August 12, which returned indictments charging Thomas with one count of Official Misconduct, one count of Destruction and Tamper of Governmental Records, one count of Perjury, one count of Aggravated Perjury, and one count of Assault.

Thomas turned himself in at the Giles County Jail on August 13 and was later released on bond.

Giles County Sheriff Joe Purvis said abuse of authority will not be tolerated and thanked Cooper and his staff for conducting the investigation. The Sheriff’s Office said it continues to cooperate with the District Attorney General’s Office as the investigation remains active and ongoing.

The charges are accusations, and Thomas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.