Another arrest made from Molena PD

After the arrest of former police chief Jim Roberts, a Molena police reserve officer was arrested today, Oct. 27 for making false statements to the GBI.Adam Sampler was booked into Spalding County Jail Monday morning. GBI Special Agent In Charge Chris DeMarco said Sampler was arrested for giving false statements to GBI investigators during the course of the investigation into allegations against Jim Roberts. Sampler was also a full time officer in Jonesboro and was terminated from his job there Monday. He had worked for the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in the past. Former Molena police chief and Concord major Roberts was released on a $44,000 bond Oct. 22 from the Pike County jail last week. Two additional charges have been filed against Roberts by the GBI, including violation of oath of office and making false writings. He also faces two charges of sodomy solicitation of juveniles under 17 years old and felony theft by conversion. Roberts, 45, was arrested Oct. 15 after a GBI investigation into his actions as Molena’s police chief. According to Sherry Lang of the GBI, Roberts solicited several young men for sex and used his position as police chief to gain their trust. Lang said Roberts provided one of the young men with his personal code and key from Molena to obtain gas to fill up the young man’s vehicle. Before becoming Molena’s police chief, Roberts was police chief for Jonesboro. After a GBI investigation in Oct. 2006, Roberts resigned from that department according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to John Bankhead of the GBI, the investigation was about property seized by the department and how that property was disposed.District Attorney at the time Jewel Scott said the item under investigation was a moped but gave no other details. Roberts faced no criminal charges but GBI agents were seeking a warrant to arrest a sergeant under his command. If convicted of any of the charges he currently faces, Roberts could lose his POST certification and be unable to serve as a law enforcement officer in the future. The Peace Officer Standards and Training council is in charge of issuing certifications to law enforcement officers. ’There are provisions in the code section that says basically what we issue, we also have the responsibility when officers get in trouble, to investigate that and take it to our council for a possible disciplinary action,’ said Ryan Powell, public information officer for Georgia POST.