Amy Kathleen Bradley, a former Lieutenant with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to Theft by Taking for misappropriating funds from citation payments. The case, initiated in June 2021, involved Ms. Bradley allegedly pocketing cash payments made for citations issued within the county, while she was assigned to the Walker County Jail.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent Daniel Nicholson spearheaded the investigation, revealing that Bradley had been stealing funds between 2018 and 2022. Agent Nicholson’s diligent inquiry led to an interview with Ms. Bradley, where she confessed to the illegal activity, resulting in multiple charges of Theft by Taking and Theft by Conversion. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Bradley received a 20-year sentence, with the first four years to be served in prison. She was also ordered to pay over $70,000 in restitution to Walker County. Beyond incarceration and financial repayment, Bradley is permanently barred from holding any law enforcement position and is forbidden from any role involving the handling or collection of money. Chief Assistant District Attorney Lynsay Chapman prosecuted the case.

The conviction underscores the effective collaboration between the GBI and the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in tackling corruption and upholding the integrity of public service. “I want to thank the GBI for bringing us a strong case and in particular Agent Nicholson who is an indispensable asset for justice in our community,” stated District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller. “I don’t care if you wear a badge—you steal from the people, you answer for it. In the LMJC, no one is above the law.”