Woman accused of molesting children while Athens police officer

By Joe Johnson

A Jackson County woman was serving as a police officer in Athens when a man told authorities that she had sexually molested two of his juvenile female relatives.

The complaint against 33-year-old Amber Nicole Ferguson was lodged with the Commerce Police Department in November and it resulted in her arrest last week on warrants that were obtained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The man had waited until a court-issued restraining order against Ferguson was in place before going to the police.

According to law enforcement records, the initial complaint alleged that on different occasions Ferguson took videos of the victims in the shower and touched them in a sexual manner.

On one occasion she removed her pants while driving and masturbated as a victim watched from the passenger seat, according to reports.

The matter was investigated by Commerce police detectives and the victims underwent forensic interviews at The Treehouse child advocacy center.

The case was referred to the GBI because Ferguson was an officer with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

The GBI subsequently obtained warrants charging Ferguson with two counts of sexual exploitation of children for the video and photos she allegedly took of the victims, and on January 15 the officer surrendered at the Jackson County Jail.

Ferguson’s jail booking photo

She had been placed on administrative leave when her superiors in Athens learned of the investigation and was fired on the day of her arrest.

The GBI indicated that the investigation was continuing and upon its completion the case file will be presented to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attorney for prosecution.