By Matt Bruce
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A former Douglas County deputy was locked up Tuesday at the jail he once guarded after GBI investigators accused him of sexually assaulting a female inmate.
Austin Cole Sluder, 27, of Douglasville, was arrested on charges of improper sexual contact and violation of oath of office by a public officer. He is being held at the Douglas County jail without bond.
The alleged sexual assault was reported Sept. 17, 2021, seven days after Sluder completed a basic law enforcement training course and was sworn in to begin his assignment at the jail. The GBI opened their case Oct. 27 at the request of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and spent months investigating.
Sluder spent just five months at the sheriff’s office, his first sworn job in Georgia law enforcement. He was fired Oct. 20, according to his record with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council.
The Douglas agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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