Former police chief enters guilty plea

BY BECKY CRISSMAN

March 09, 2009 11:10 pm

— PINEVIEW — A former police chief here will never wear a badge again after pleading guilty to violation of his oath of office.
Brent Powell, was arrested in April of 2008 on charges of enticing a child and interfering with child custody.
After pleading Thursday, Powell was sentenced to a five year prison term which he will be allowed to serve on probation.
He was, however, asked to surrender his post certification, meaning he will never be allowed to work in law enforcement again. He also surrendered his search and seizure rights and agreed to follow special drug and alcohol conditions while on probation.
Powell resigned his position as a police officer in Cochran after his arrest over an incident involving an underage female.
The investigation began after a Taser incident occurred at a traffic stop in Pineview. Powell allegedly used force against a young man whose family later filed a complaint against him.
Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to handle the investigation since it involved an officer of the law.
It was during that investigation that law enforcement personnel learned about several incidents involving Powell and young girls, one of whom was under the age of 16.
Powell was 25 at the time of his arrest.