A Georgia Cop was Fired for Stalking and Harassing Women
Former Sergeant Scott Martin is a certified creep.
A Georgia police officer was fired in June following disturbing allegations about his contact with several women.
WTVC reports that least four women came forward to accuse Sergeant Scott Martin of the Ringgold Police Department of sinister behavior. Police Chief Dan Bilbrey called for an internal investigation into the claims in June. The subsequent investigation, which can be viewed here, uncovered a pattern of stalking, sexual advances, and abuse of authority by Martin.
The first victim told investigators that she was contacted by Martin after he found her on Facebook. Martin told her that both he and his wife thought she was "cute" and repeatedly suggested that she sleep with his wife. She repeatedly denied his advances. When she messaged "oh my God STOP" on one occasion, he blocked her.
Martin found the second victim, a college instructor, through her Linkedin page. He located her at her college one day and sat in her class about gender and sexuality for about 15 minutes. He used pet names like "sweetie" and "stinker" in his messages to her and advised her to keep their conversations private from everyone, including the police. She feared that the demand was abusive as she had witnessed similar silencing tactics during her previous work with the Department of Family and Children's services. She also reported that he watched her on campus and that she tried to avoid him.
The third victim told investigators that she met Martin when he walked into the bank where she worked to request a change in address and a new debit card following his divorce. Though Martin knew she was married, he added her on Snapchat. Their innocent message exchanges turned inappropriate after Martin requested personal pictures from her. He also reportedly sent an unsolicited picture of his genitals. She deleted him after stating that she would not be cheating on her husband.
Martin continued to be present in her life after he tried to visit her at work. He eventually married one of her former coworkers and added her as a friend on their joint Facebook account. He repeatedly asked her on a double date, which she and her husband refused in light of the Snapchat incident. He also continued to ask for sexual favors. The victim said she feared for her job since she worked alongside Martin's aunt at the bank. She also expressed feelings of intimidation since Martin told her that he was a police officer.
The fourth victim told investigators that she met Martin as part of her job cleaning city properties. She said Martin continuously followed her at work and even to the gas station. At one point, she asked Martin if she broke any laws. He told her that she hadn't. Martin repeatedly asked her questions about her intentions when he saw her at work. She also stated that he questioned her intentions when he saw her at the grocery store or gas station. The victim told investigators that the situation creeped her out even more because Martin was supposed to be one of her points of official contact if she ever experienced discomfort at work.
The investigation's search into Martin's work history found that he was fired from a school while working towards his teaching certificate. During the incident that led to his termination, he illegally used a student's disciplinary record during a mock trial in a classroom. He was also found to have exchanged inappropriate messages with a female student. At another job, where he was employed as a counselor in training, he reportedly made an inappropriate sexual remark toward a head female counselor.
Administrators at that job also expressed concern about the idea of Martin becoming a police officer, speculating that he would possibly retaliate against others. Martin did not disclose his termination or this concern when he applied to be an officer.
As reported by WTVC, Martin was found to have violated five internal policies of the Ringgold Police Department, including "not conducting himself toward the public in a civil and professional manner as a police officer."
Luckily for the women of Georgia, state law considers police disciplinary records to be public records. Should Martin seek employment at another police department in the state, the history of his firing and alleged behavior should not be difficult to uncover.