News 12 at 6 o'clock, September 15, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga -- A top violent crimes investigative Sergeant at the Richmond County Sheriff's Office is demoted today after a disciplinary hearing at the law enforcement center this morning.

Richard Roundtree is more than just a supervisor and investigator at the Sheriff's Office, he's also a well known community leader; the face of Taking Back The Streets and Dads In Action.

Today, (Monday September 15) he went before the review board facing allegations of negligence.

Sergeant Richard Roundtree is a Sergeant no more, demoted to investigator following a disciplinary hearing at the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

Major Ken Autry oversees about a hundred investigators in the criminal investigation division, including Roundtree. "This is a stumbling block but he's an intelligent person so he can bounce back very easily."

A recent stumble that began in July when someone cleaning up his empty Augusta apartment found seven case files belonging to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office which is against department policy, but not against the law.

"It's never crossed my mind there was anything criminal about it, it's just negligence on his part." adds Major Ken Autry.

Those files included two closed cases, including the Margaret King case. She was the grandmother and convienence store clerk shot to death at the Pump n Shop on Central Avenue during a robbery in 2003.

There were also five cold cases as well as misplaced swat gear.

"As far as I can tell right now, nothing's been compromised." says Autry. But the sheriff's office took the allegations of negligence seriously and investigated. They presented their findings to the review board and then the sheriff weighed in.

Their decision is a demotion, five day suspension and 12 months probation. Investigator Roundtree will also be moved out of violent crimes and transferred to another department.

Autry, "In my opinion, it's fair. There were some not unheard of, but serious accusations."

And during his 15 year career at the sheriff's office he's went above the call of duty mentoring families, teens, children and dads with his programs of Taking Back The Streets and most recently, Dads In Action. Also, hundreds of cases solved thanks to his work. Major Autry says his efforts were noted. "I think that's why the punishment wasn't anymore severe, because he's been an excellent employee."

Now this is Investigator Roundtree's fifth suspension in his 15 years at the sheriff's office. His first back in 1996 for issues with co-workers.
The other three stemming from misplaced evidence and two failures to appear in court, those appearance violations were almost a decade apart.