EATONTON, Ga. â Longtime Eatonton Police Chief William Kent Lawrence was arrested Friday morning on three misdemeanor criminal warrants alleging that he used excessive force against a 58-year-old woman while she was in custody.
The 61-year-old Lawrence, who has served as the cityâs top law enforcement officer for the past 34 years, was taken into custody about 11 a.m. at police headquarters on Friday, according to a press release from Nelly Miles, public affairs director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Lawrence, who has served as police chief since Dec. 1, 1986, was charged with two counts of simple battery and one count of battery.