Accused Jackson County police officer granted pretrial diversion

Sgt. Reginald New

By Joe Johnson

A police supervisor in Jackson County who was arrested has been allowed into a court program that could lead to dismissal of criminal charges.

Jefferson police Sgt. Reginald Lee New was alleged to have illegally disclosed privileged info from the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) to a person unauthorized to receive it.

Classic City News on Friday learned that person was Jefferson City Manager Priscilla Murphy.

New had provided Murphy with information pertaining to a vehicle’s tag number, said Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Smith.

GCIC information can only be shared with government agencies for law enforcement purposes

Priscilla Murphy

.Any reason why Murphy might have wanted the tag information has not been disclosed.

Upon learning about the allegations against New, the Jefferson Police

department referred the matter to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which conducted aninvestigation which resulted in the officer being arrested last month.

All charges will be dismissed with New’s successful completion of the pretrial diversion.

Typically only first-time offenders are accepted into diversion programs.

Each court has their own particular program, but generally, they include fees of up to $1,000.00 aycommunity service hours that depends upon the crime committed and the offender's specific case.

It can take months to complete a program. The offender may also have to submit to a professional evaluation, treatment, counseling, or abstinence from drugs and alcohol during the program.