A Barrow County Sheriff's employee has been arrested for violations related to alleged misuse of the office’s Flock camera systems. According to a release, Investigator Stephanie Howard resigned from her position and turned herself in at the Barrow County Detention Center. She is charged with violation of oath by public officer, and collection, storage, sharing, and destruction of captured license plate data for law enforcement purposes.
A self-audit by the sheriff's office found several suspicious inquiries conducted by Howard over a six-month time span. Sheriff Jud Smith then began an internal investigation. The case has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Howard was released on $7,500 bail.
In August, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department fired Criminal Intelligence Analyst Supervisor Nick Barker. The civilian employee was accused of repeatedly searching his ex-wife’s vehicle’s license plate in 2025.
Former ACCPD police officer Tyler Vaughn was terminated in October for improper use of the Flock system, for searching his ex-girlfriend’s license plate several times in 2025.
A University of Georgia employee was suspended without pay for 20 days and demoted in September for Flock misuse. According to the university, an Internal Affairs investigation found that the civilian employee did not commit a criminal act.
