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Sheriff's Office Fires Deputy Charged with Sexually Assaulting Inmate

The Douglasville resident remains in the Bartow County Jail without bond.

The second deputy accused of sexually assaulting a female inmate has been fired.

Sgt. Kristopher Travitz's 14-year-old career with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office came to an end on Saturday, the same day that authorities arrested him on charges of violation of public oath, aggravated sexual battery, sexual assault by a law enforcement officer and false statements, Col. Milton Beck said in a news release.

An internal investigation initiated after last month's arrest of Sgt. Alvin Blake Sutherland on similar charges led authorities to Travitz, who was brought in for questioning.

Initially, according to a criminal warrant, he allegedly told officials that the inmate never came to his Douglasville home. But a GPS tracker that the inmate was ordered to wear around her ankle revealed that she was at Travitz's home for 45 minutes.

According to the warrant, the sexual assault occurred between Oct. 21, 2010 and March 7, 2011.

Travitz, 37, is being held in the Bartow County Jail without bond.

Sutherland, the first deputy arrested on sexual assault charges, is still in the Douglas County Jail without bond on charges of aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, sexual assault by a member of law enforcement, and violation of oath of public office. 

Sutherland, 51, is no longer with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. He was also terminated, agency spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford said.

Sheriff Neil Warren said all employees must undergo rigorous background checks, but "there are no guarantees that this type of behavior will not occur.

"I can assure you that every complaint we receive will be thoroughly investigated and that we will continue to clearly communicate the expectation that those empowered to enforce the law will be held to a higher standard of conduct. When violations occur, they will be addressed quickly and decisively."

Duncan February 5, 2013 at 06:13 pm
I've had to call the CC Sheriffs for help with some rowdy neighbors and have always been happy with the way they handled it; good to see they're "cleaning house"...
Chris raley February 5, 2013 at 08:11 pm
What a surprise!! I wonder how many others are getting away with this? Don't they teach them to not have sex with the criminals? Now they get to see how it feels behind bars. It's a good thing they like crooks, I'm sure their cellmates will welcome them with open arms. Don't drop the soap...
Audria February 5, 2013 at 09:38 pm
Innocent until proven guilty....
Greg T February 6, 2013 at 01:27 pm
Nice to see law enforcement held accountable. Everyone knows that police officers cannot all be perfect and that being so close to the illicit community desensitizes some. If there were no officers being held accountable, then I'd know that the force was corrupt and dangerous.
Thanks Neil Warren, glad I voted for you.
Richard Pellegrino February 6, 2013 at 05:44 pm
Hmmm....seems like a pattern of abuse under Sheriff Warren's watch...not exactly the kind of thing I would applaud him for. (Maybe if he wasn't so busy targeting young immigrants he could keep his own house in order.)
Detroits Finest February 6, 2013 at 09:42 pm
I was just there for 6mts,and have seen these officers. No one is perfect but I would not have expected these officers to deal with inmates while in jail. Soooooo how does it feel to be an inmate?

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Larry June 4, 2013 at 03:58 pm
When I was growing up (in an SBC church) I remember the ushers being told "If a <n-word>Read More tries to come in, lock the doors and we will cancel church". In today's church, just replace <n-word> with "Gay"...