By Joe Johnson
A Madison County deputy was arrested Saturday night after he was found in possession of methamphetamine during a traffic stop by a Georgia State patrol trooper.
According to a news release issued Monday morning by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Gabriel Lamar Dalton of Elberton was off duty and in his personal car when it was stopped by a state trooper at about 8 p.m. in Hull.
After Dalton was found in possession of methamphetamine , the case was turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ”for a fair and impartial investigation” according to the release. The GBI’s findings will be given to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution.
Madison County Sheriff Michael Moore immediately fired Dalton, who had been with the MCSO since 2016, according to sheriff's Capt. Jimmy Patton.
The news release stated that there currently was no evidence that Dalton violated any laws while on duty as a deputy.
Dalton was booked into the Madison County Jail on the felony drug charge at 11:16 p.m. and was released about an hour later on an $8,350 own recognizance bond.