SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA FLOCK MISUSE DATABASE | CASE 032
Joseph Marquee Callaway: From Bibb County K-9 Deputy to Flock Stalking Charges — and a New Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit
An officer with 1,374 documented training hours was among three Bibb County deputies arrested after a Flock audit. Callaway faced three stalking counts. A separate federal lawsuit filed in September 2026 also names Joseph M. Callaway; its allegations are not findings of wrongdoing.
August 10, 2026: three deputies arrested after a Flock audit
On August 10, 2026, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of three deputies: Joseph Marquee Callaway, Coznavian Torsell Stubbs and Toni Cierra Lewis. According to Sheriff David Davis and contemporaneous WGXA reporting, Flock Safety notified the agency of possible irregularities, and an internal audit found alleged personal-purpose searches involving people with whom each employee had a personal relationship. The sheriff described the investigations as separate incidents, not one coordinated operation.
WGXA reported that Stubbs and Lewis resigned during the investigation and Callaway resigned shortly after his arrest. It would therefore be inaccurate to label all three as terminated. Arrest and resignation are established events; the allegations remain unproven criminal charges unless a court rules otherwise.
Callaway’s charges: three stalking counts and database allegations
Callaway was charged with violation of oath by a public officer, unauthorized request or disclosure of criminal-history record information, an offense described in reporting as prohibited retention or use of license plate reader data, and three counts of stalking. The number of stalking counts distinguishes his charging report from the other two deputies, but it does not independently establish how many people were targeted, how many searches occurred, or whether a victim was physically followed. Those details require the arrest warrants and original database logs.
The Sheriff’s Office did not publicly disclose the full query history, the specific plates, search justifications, or the precise dates of the alleged searches in the cited news report. We are not filling those gaps with assumptions.
From jailer to peace officer and field training officer
The supplied Georgia POST training record identifies Callaway as beginning his Bibb County career in 2014 as a jailer, becoming a peace officer in 2016, and later obtaining Field Training Officer certification. The source material records 1,374 training hours spanning ethics, professionalism, agency policy, constitutional law, search and seizure, body-worn cameras and de-escalation. These subjects matter because the case involves alleged access to a sensitive police database, but a training record does not prove either knowledge of a particular Flock rule or guilt.
Read Callaway’s full POST training record (PDF) ↗
NEW: September 10 federal civil rights case names Joseph M. Callaway
A federal docket search identified a September 10, 2026 complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia: Smith et al. v. Macon-Bibb County et al., No. 5:26-cv-00397. Plaintiffs Christopher Clayton Smith and Matthew Blake Fuller named several defendants, including a person listed as Joseph M. Callaway, along with Macon-Bibb County and Sheriff David John Davis. The docket classifies the case as a civil-rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
Important distinction: This is a separately filed civil lawsuit, not evidence that the Flock criminal allegations are true. The public docket entry reviewed here establishes only that a complaint was filed and that a Joseph M. Callaway was named. The underlying allegations, whether the named defendant is definitively the same deputy, service status and subsequent rulings must be confirmed from the complaint and later docket entries before this case is characterized more specifically.
Read the September 10 federal docket listing ↗
Why Flock audit trails matter
Flock license plate reader systems can log plate searches, users, timestamps and reasons. The agency said a Flock notification of irregularities led to its internal audit. That is a lead, not a substitute for the raw evidence. An independent review needs to establish which accounts searched which plates, whether those queries had case numbers, whether results were shared, and how far back the activity extended.
The same logs can test the agency’s own supervision: Were suspicious queries reviewed promptly? Did supervisors receive alerts? Did searchers provide reasons that were independently verified? Were any exports retained after access was revoked?
Timeline
- 2014: Callaway begins employment with Bibb County Sheriff’s Office as a jailer, according to supplied POST history.
- 2016: Callaway becomes a peace officer.
- Before August 2026: Flock flags possible irregularities, according to the Sheriff’s Office; the precise date is not verified.
- August 10, 2026: Callaway, Stubbs and Lewis are arrested; Callaway resigns shortly afterward, according to WGXA.
- September 10, 2026: A separate federal civil-rights complaint names Joseph M. Callaway as a defendant; identity and allegations require further verification.
- October 12, 2026: No final criminal disposition was verified in the sources reviewed.
Original evidence and images
Related reporting and sources
Original Shields of Shame investigation ↗
WGXA: three deputies arrested and charging details ↗
WSB-TV: Bibb County Flock arrests ↗
Institute for Justice: ALPR abuse database ↗
Federal case: Smith et al. v. Macon-Bibb County et al. ↗
Open records requests that could answer the remaining questions
- Complete native Flock audit for Callaway, including timestamps, search reasons, account identifiers, result views and exports
- Original Flock anomaly alert and all internal audit findings involving the three deputies
- Arrest warrants, charging affidavits, case numbers, subsequent indictments and court dispositions
- Internal Affairs records, interview recordings, administrative leave or resignation documentation
- Flock access policy, retention schedule, user training and signed acknowledgments
- POST current certification record, investigation and any later sanction
- September federal complaint and docket filings to verify the named Joseph M. Callaway’s identity and the allegations, without conflating the civil and criminal matters
Frequently asked questions
Was Callaway a K-9 deputy?
He is described as a former K-9 deputy in the original Shields of Shame report. His supplied POST records also document jailer, peace-officer and Field Training Officer credentials.
How many stalking charges did he face?
Three stalking counts were reported by WGXA, in addition to oath, criminal-history and license-plate-data charges.
Was he fired?
Contemporaneous reporting says Callaway resigned shortly after his arrest, rather than reporting a termination.
Does the federal lawsuit prove the Flock charges?
No. It is a separate civil filing. The identity of the named defendant and its allegations need confirmation from the full complaint.
Has he been convicted?
A final criminal outcome was not verified in the sources reviewed. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Updated October 12, 2026. Criminal charges and civil complaints are allegations, not findings of guilt. Historical certification data may change.