The GBI has arrested and charged Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols, age 45, of Clayton, Georgia, with Public Indecency, Sexual Battery and Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

According to the GBI, “On Friday, May 24, 2024, Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian asked the GBI to investigate an incident involving Nichols. Nichols turned himself in and was booked into the Rabun County Detention Center”.

The GBI says that the investigation is active and ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney for prosecution.

Further details have not been made public.

Rabun County’s chief jailer has been appointed to lead the sheriff’s office following Sheriff Chad Nichols’s arrest. Rabun County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Kevin Angell says Nichols named Major Beth Darnell “Acting In-Charge” before the GBI arrested him.