SHIELDS OF SHAME | PUBLIC RECORDS INVESTIGATION | CHEROKEE COUNTY, GEORGIA

A Hit and Run, a Citizen Complaint, and the Body Camera Review That Cleared a Cherokee County Deputy

Deputy Joshua Steven Belden | Internal Affairs file 2024-00050 | September 2024

A woman reported that another driver struck her vehicle and fled near Highway 92 and Robin Road. The responding Cherokee County deputy searched for a possible suspect using traffic camera footage, police databases and the Flock automated license plate reader system. When the investigation produced no identifiable suspect, the complainant challenged the deputy’s handling of the case. What followed was an internal review that ended with the deputy exonerated.

The collision and the search

According to Cherokee Sheriff’s Office case SO24-012559, Deputy Joshua Belden responded at approximately 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2024, to a reported hit and run near Highway 92 and Robin Road. Complainant Terri Johnson described a vehicle that struck her Nissan Rogue and left the scene. Belden reviewed available traffic footage, attempted to identify a license plate, checked the information through GCIC and searched Flock cameras for a vehicle matching the description. His incident narrative states that he could not locate a matching vehicle. A subsequent follow-up by Deputy Charles Mills noted limited solvability factors and left the case inactive pending further leads.

What the citizen alleged

Johnson complained about Belden’s explanation of how a suspected driver might be handled, including whether an officer could issue a citation rather than make an arrest. She also objected to his statement that body camera video would need to be requested through the open records process. Those were allegations about his communication and competence, not findings of wrongdoing.

Two reviews, one final outcome

Corporal Robert Bradshaw reviewed Belden’s body camera recording and concluded that Belden had been courteous and had made a reasonable effort to investigate the collision. Bradshaw recommended that the complaint be classified as unfounded. Lieutenant Christopher Bryant subsequently reviewed the matter and acknowledged that Belden had misspoken about a hit and run investigated by the Sheriff’s Office, while finding that his explanation about officer discretion was substantively correct. Bryant recommended exonerated, and the complaint form marks EXONERATED. The two memoranda should not be flattened into one finding: they document different recommendations during the agency’s review.

Final administrative outcome: Exonerated. The provided file does not show a sustained misconduct finding or disciplinary action against Belden arising from this complaint.

Who appears in the records?

• Joshua Steven Belden: responding deputy and subject of the complaint.
• Robert Bradshaw: corporal who reviewed body camera footage and recommended an unfounded finding.
• Christopher Bryant: lieutenant who reviewed the matter and recommended exoneration.
• James T. Shinall: captain addressed in the supervisory memoranda.
• Charles Mills: deputy who completed a follow-up review of the underlying hit and run.

Why the Flock search matters

Belden’s incident report documents using Flock cameras to look for a vehicle connected to the reported collision. This is an example of a stated investigative purpose for automated license plate reader technology. Nothing in this file alleges that Belden misused Flock. The underlying search audit was not included in the supplied document, so the exact query terms and results have not been independently verified.

Cartersville personnel file: a separate 2020 employment question

Newly obtained Cartersville Police Department personnel documents add context to the Georgia POST employment entry described in our earlier Belden investigation, which reported a short 2020 tenure classified as resignation in lieu of termination. The personnel packet includes an August 6, 2020 conditional offer of employment signed by Police Chief Frank L. McCann (page 52).

What a Cartersville officer reported

In a September 2, 2020 memorandum to Major T. E. Ellis (page 57), Officer M. J. Roth said he had worked with Belden at a sporting goods retailer in 2017 and 2018. Roth alleged that Belden and another associate improperly obtained store credit through a firearm trade-in transaction and attempted to obscure the item’s clearance pricing. Roth wrote that store management and loss prevention investigated the matter, required Belden to buy back the firearm and restricted him from working behind the firearms counter without supervision. These are Roth’s accounts of alleged events and reported workplace consequences, not independently verified findings by SOS.

The same personnel packet contains a forwarded February 2018 email (pages 54–56) in which Roth questioned a separate firearm sale to Belden at $47.98, stating that the clearance item should have rung up at $79.97. Roth suggested the employee numbers may have been omitted to avoid triggering discount checks. This suspicion is an allegation, not proof of intent or fraud.

What remains unproven

These materials show that allegations about prior retail employment were communicated within Cartersville Police in September 2020. They do not establish whether Cartersville independently substantiated the allegations, what response Belden gave, or whether the information caused his separation. The 2020 personnel matter is distinct from the September 2024 Cherokee County complaint, which ended in an exonerated administrative finding.

Evidence library: original agency records

These records are hosted on Shields of Shame. Open each document in a new tab to inspect the source material and compare the original agency accounts with our reporting.

Agency video asset

This locally hosted video was supplied for this investigation. Its contents have not been independently reviewed, so no claim is made about what it depicts.

Open the video in a new tab ↗

What evidence is still missing?

The provided internal affairs file does not include the underlying body camera recording, complete Flock audit log, or original traffic camera video. We also need Cartersville’s final separation documentation and any formal findings regarding the 2020 allegations.

Cherokee Sheriff’s Office public records information | 2024 agency annual report

How SOS obtained the Cartersville records

In an October 7, 2026 response to an October 4 open records request, Stacey L. Forristall, writing on behalf of the Cartersville city attorney’s office, stated that both the police department and city human resources maintain personnel records for former Officer Belden. The city said personnel files were attached and explained that protected personal information had been redacted. This response establishes the official route by which the records were supplied; it does not independently substantiate every allegation appearing inside them.

Records fees raise a question

The response assessed a total of $16.88: $9.08 for police department work (30 minutes at a stated $36.24 hourly rate, with 15 minutes free) and $7.82 for human resources work (15 minutes at $31.26 per hour). The exact quarter-hour calculation for the police department is $9.06, and the city also charged for the HR department’s entire 15 minutes despite stating that the first quarter-hour is free. SOS is seeking clarification about the calculation and whether the free period was applied appropriately under Georgia law. The discrepancy is not, by itself, evidence of intentional misconduct.

Source: City of Cartersville response dated October 7, 2026, supplied to SOS. The correspondence will be added as a separate privacy-reviewed evidence exhibit.

Read the Cartersville evidence: two new documents

Compare the source documents for yourself. These PDFs are hosted directly on Shields of Shame. If your browser does not display a preview, use the clearly labeled open/download links.

Reader guidance: A personnel-file allegation is not a proven finding. The records response establishes what the city said and charged, but it does not resolve why Belden separated from Cartersville Police. The fee calculation raises questions that warrant clarification, not an established finding of unlawful billing.

Shields of Shame evidence and membership

Shields of Shame publishes public records investigations so readers can examine allegations, official findings and unresolved questions separately. Our $5.99 membership helps support document acquisition, case research and the Shields of Shame Vault. This story is free to read.

Editorial note: A complaint does not establish misconduct. This case concluded with an exonerated administrative finding. References to other personnel or investigations do not imply involvement or wrongdoing. This article will be updated when additional verified records become available.