BARROW COUNTY, Ga. —
A Gwinnett County police officer was arrested in Barrow
County on charges of pandering, which is soliciting an act of prostitution,
authorities said.
Brian Kelly, the Gwinnett officer, who also served as the
agency's spokesman, was arrested on May 31, but Gwinnett police officials did
not learn of his arrest until Tuesday.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told Channel 2's Kerry
Kavanaugh that he did not know Kelly was a police officer until Monday night.
The sheriff said Kelly's arrest was part of a sting
operation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He said an undercover
deputy posed as a prostitute in an ad on online service listing Backpage.com,
and arranged a meeting with Kelly at the Winder Best Western.
Smith said Kelly came to an agreement for services with the
undercover officer and exchanged money before he was arrested.
Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Jake Smith said officers are
required by policy to immediately report an arrest to their supervisors. As a
result of Kelly’s failure to report his arrest to this department, he was
served with a letter of intent to terminate his employment. Kelly resigned in
lieu of termination Tuesday afternoon.
Kelly was a public information officer approximately two
years, ending in late 2010. He had been employed as a Gwinnett police officer
since October 2003.
Smith added that Barrow Sheriff's Department has received
complaints about prostitution and pandering from area hotel management and
guests. He also noted that the GBI is cracking down on Backpage.com
specifically.