Sheriff's chaplain says he was fired for watching Falcons game at work

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A former chaplain with a local sheriff's office says he is behind bars facing charges because he questioned some of his boss' decisions.

Rodney Williams says Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is trying to destroy his life.

Channel 2's Tom Jones walked with Williams as he turned himself in at the Clayton County jail around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

"How you doing?" one former co-worker asked.

Williams greeted them like he was coming to work. Instead, he was turning himself in to be arrested on a charge of computer trespass.

Earlier, Williams told Jones he is facing the charge because he sent his former co-workers an email in which he called Hill toxic, describing him as an evil man with an evil agenda. He says now he is paying for it.

"He wants to make me suffer as much as he possibly can," he said.

Williams, the sheriff's office chaplain for seven years, says his troubles began after Hill wanted all his chaplains to become deputies. He refused.

"I don't see anybody seeing me as a chaplain when I got a gun pointed at them," he explained.

TRENDING STORIES:

Then he objected to the sheriff sending chaplains out to sign people up to the notification service called Nixle.

"It's covert campaign management," he said.

That's when his shift changed and then he was fired for watching the Falcons on his computer.

Williams admits he watched but still completed all his work.

He says after he was fired, Hill sent an email out to all employees calling Williams toxic. Williams says that's when he sent his email.

Because he had been fired, Hill charged him with computer trespass for sending out his email. But Williams says it's not his fault his account wasn't deactivated.

"It didn't say access denied. It didn't say, stop right here, you're trespassing," he said.

Now, he could face up to 15 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.

"It's excessive and I think he would enjoy me being convicted of that," the ordained minister said.

No one from the sheriff's office responded to a request for a comment. Williams is expected to spend the night in jail and then go before a judge Wednesday, when he could get a bond.

Cox Media Group