SHIELDS OF SHAME | CHEROKEE COUNTY CASE FILE | 2024-00043
A threatening phone call allegation, two recordings and an exonerated deputy
On August 30, 2024, a telephone conversation involving Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputy Meagan Leigh Vaughan led to a formal citizen complaint. Nicola Bunn alleged that Vaughan had used profanity and threatened to hurt her during a call about alleged harassing communications. Bunn’s son Andrew reportedly supported her account. But an investigator who reviewed the recorded conversation concluded that the allegations were not supported by the audio.
Documented outcome: The agency’s complaint form marks the allegation EXONERATED. This page presents the complaint, investigative findings and available recordings so readers can examine the evidence and reach their own informed conclusions.
How the complaint began
The Sheriff’s Office complaint report identifies August 30, 2024 as the incident date. According to Sergeant James D. Roberts’ August 31 memorandum, Nicola Bunn said a female deputy called her concerning a complaint made by her stepdaughter, Ashley Mora Balboa. Bunn alleged the deputy had spoken in a hateful manner and threatened her. Roberts recorded Bunn’s account, then contacted the Adult Detention Center and obtained the relevant audio and video.
Recording 1: Deputy Vaughan’s call with Nicola Bunn
Listen to the conversation at the center of the complaint. The investigative memorandum reproduces Vaughan telling Bunn that someone had asked her to stop contacting them, discussing alleged harassing communications, and advising her not to contact the other person again. The recording is primary evidence; the agency’s written transcript is an investigator’s rendering of it.
Open the original telephone recording
Recording 2: Nicola Bunn’s complaint to Sergeant Roberts
In this separate recording, Nicola speaks with Sergeant J.D. Roberts as he takes her complaint while parked in his patrol vehicle. The audio was extracted from Roberts’ body camera footage because the video shows him sitting in the vehicle. This recording captures the complainant’s account, not the deputy’s original conversation.
Open the body camera audio extraction
What investigators concluded
Roberts wrote that his review found no profanity or threat of harm by Vaughan. He described interruptions during the call and concluded that Vaughan was attempting to explain the complaint and instructions to stop contact. He recommended finding the allegation unfounded. The final complaint form, however, has exonerated checked and indicates no further action was required. Those labels are not interchangeable: the form defines unfounded as an allegation shown to be false or not factual, and exonerated as conduct that occurred but was lawful or proper. The records provided do not explain why the final classification differs from Roberts’ recommendation.
Officer background and Georgia POST record
The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council profile generated September 21, 2026 identifies Meagan Leigh Vaughan as employed by Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office since March 12, 2017, initially as a jailer, and serving as a deputy sheriff since December 14, 2019. Her basic jailer, basic law enforcement and field training officer certifications were active. The report listed her in good standing, with no POST sanctions or investigations found. A department-level citizen complaint is not necessarily reflected in POST’s separate investigations section.
Case timeline
- March 12, 2017: Vaughan begins employment as a Cherokee County jailer.
- December 14, 2019: Transfers to deputy sheriff.
- August 30, 2024: Telephone conversation and citizen complaint.
- August 31, 2024: Sergeant Roberts prepares investigative memorandum describing his review of audio and video.
- September 5, 2024: Division command review recorded on complaint form, with no further action checked.
- September 15, 2024: Employee acknowledgement and notification of findings signed.
- September 21, 2026: POST profile generated, showing good standing.
Original records and documents
Read the 2024 complaint and investigative memorandum (PDF) Read Georgia POST training and employment record (PDF)
Why this case matters
Complaint records can be revealing even when an officer is cleared. Here, the existence of contemporaneous recordings enabled an investigator to test a serious allegation against documented evidence. The difference between the investigator’s recommended disposition and the final checked finding also demonstrates why the precise language of administrative decisions matters. The publicly available records do not establish misconduct by Vaughan in this incident.
Editorial note: Shields of Shame distinguishes allegations, investigative conclusions and independently verified facts. Audio recordings are provided for public accountability and context. Private addresses and unrelated personal information are intentionally omitted from this article. Readers should not treat an allegation as a proven finding.
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