Tracy Dale Davis

DALTON, Ga. — A Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office sergeant charged with aggravated assault and cruelty to children in Catoosa County resigned from the sheriff’s office on Friday.

Tracy Dale Davis, a 14-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, resigned by way of an email to Sheriff Scott Chitwood, Maj. John Gibson and other leadership officers in the sheriff’s office. Davis was a sergeant in the corrections division as a work detail supervisor.

“I would like to take this time to thank you, sheriff and all command staff for all the opportunities that have been given to me. I would also like to apologize for any negativity that I have caused with all the accusations and charges that have come forth in the past two weeks,” the email said. “I have enjoyed working with you all and hope to remain friends after things have died down and my life is back to normal. It is with sadness I say that I will be resigning from my position at the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office effective the end of day Friday, May 3, 2019. Again, thank you and best regards.”

Davis turned himself in at the Catoosa County jail on April 25 after warrants were issued for him for aggravated assault and two cruelty to children charges, one in the first degree and one in the third degree. He was released from jail after posting bond.

The charges stem from an incident that happened around 12:30 p.m. on April 21 during a child custody exchange in a parking lot off Battlefield Parkway, according to a Fort Oglethorpe Police Department incident report. Three witnesses and the child’s mother said Davis was hitting his son, and the witnesses said Davis was “aggressively holding him up” against Davis’ truck. The witnesses said they approached Davis “and shouted at him to stop,” saying “they feared for the child’s safety, that dad was way too aggressive.” A press release from the police department said the child is 9.

The incident report said the child had been texting Davis, saying he didn’t want to go with him “several times.” Both the mother and father told him he had to go.

The incident report also noted “redness and finger marks and a scratch” on the child’s neck “consistent with being choked.”

Davis had been placed on paid administrative leave by the sheriff’s office pending an internal investigation.

“Any time we have an internal investigation and the officer resigns during that investigation, we forward it on to POST (the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council),” said Gibson. “They would have a ruling after their investigation as to the status of his law enforcement certification. Our investigation will be open as long as POST is still doing their investigation.”

Gibson said the sheriff’s office should submit the paperwork to POST on Monday. A message left with POST on Friday was not immediately returned.

Davis and his attorney, Sam Sanders, did not immediately return telephone messages left on Friday.