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Sean Edward Gunderson Morrow: Richmond County Investigator Fired and Charged in Flock Camera Misuse Case — POST Certification Suspended

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Sean Edward Gunderson Morrow was arrested and fired on August 31, 2026, after an internal criminal investigation concluded that he allegedly used the department’s Flock license plate reader system for searches unrelated to official police duties. He was charged with misuse of license plate readers and violation of oath of office. His Georgia POST profile, obtained by Shields of Shame, adds a second development: his Basic Law Enforcement certification was listed as “Suspended (POST Sanction).” The criminal charges remain allegations, and the supplied POST snapshot does not establish a final criminal disposition.

What the Richmond County investigation found

In its August 31 announcement, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division said Morrow and Deputy Jose Ferrer knowingly used the agency’s Flock license plate reader system to search license plate numbers for personal reasons, not an active investigation, call for service, intelligence gathering or another legitimate law-enforcement purpose. The agency cited alleged violations of database-access rules, conduct standards and the oath of office. Both men were booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and terminated. Authorities did not publicly establish that the two acted together or conducted coordinated searches.

WRDW/WAGT: August 31 arrest report and Sheriff’s Office statement ↗

WJBF: two RCSO employees arrested over Flock misuse ↗

His POST record: service, termination and certification suspension

Shields of Shame obtained the seven-page Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council profile identifying Sean Edward Gunderson Morrow. The record lists his first Richmond County Sheriff’s Office appointment as a peace officer on July 18, 2015 and his promotion to investigator on July 28, 2018. It lists his employment ending on August 31, 2026, with separation status Terminated.

Unlike cases in which an officer’s certification remained marked active during an investigation, Morrow’s Basic Law Enforcement certification was recorded as Suspended (POST Sanction), and his overall profile as POST Review Required. His POST investigation opened September 7, 2026, seven days after termination. The September 11 profile reportedly showed the investigation as Awaiting Acceptance with case status Assigned. These administrative fields reflect the record at that time, not a verified final POST disposition. The profile documents approximately 1,486 training hours in its historical training section.

Sean Morrow Georgia POST certification screenshot showing suspended certification

Read the seven-page Georgia POST certification and training report (PDF) ↗

Six arrests in one sheriff’s office

Contemporary reporting described the August 31 arrests of Morrow and Ferrer as the latest developments in an expanding Richmond County Flock inquiry. The cases brought the number of employees arrested in connection with the agency’s misuse investigations to six since June 2026, according to published reports. Earlier cases included Deputy Jaquarius Yarbrough and additional employees investigated in July. These are separate individual cases: one person’s arrest or alleged database searches should not be attributed to another without evidence.

Georgia Public Broadcasting covered the arrests on September 4, noting that authorities had not released further details about the individual searches. The Institute for Justice’s national ALPR abuse database lists Morrow under a “Stalking” research category, but the publicly reported criminal charges are misuse of license plate readers and violation of oath of office. A research classification should not be mistaken for a stalking charge or a judicial finding.

Georgia Public Broadcasting: Richmond County Flock arrests ↗

Institute for Justice: ALPR abuse research database ↗

Why a missing public docket is not proof of no prosecution

Shields of Shame has raised questions about not finding Morrow’s name in an Augusta court docket or public jail inmate search. That observation deserves follow-up, but a missing name in a particular online search does not establish that no case was filed, that charges were dismissed or that a district attorney declined prosecution. Jail lookup systems often show current custody rather than historical bookings, and court search results may depend on filing date, name format, court jurisdiction and indexing. The proper next steps are to request the booking record, accusation or indictment, clerk’s case number, docket sheet and written prosecutorial disposition from the responsible offices.

The assertion that District Attorney Jared Williams does not prosecute officers is not substantiated by the available case materials and is not adopted as a factual conclusion here. Shields of Shame will report any documented charging decision or case outcome when supported by records.

Flock audit request: the records that matter most

Shields of Shame reports having submitted an Open Records Request seeking Morrow’s complete Flock search history and audit records. The request seeks search timestamps, plates queried, stated reasons, case numbers, user/account identifiers and documents identifying searches investigators considered unauthorized or personal. Those records may reveal the scale, duration and purpose of the alleged misuse, but until they are received and examined, the specific search count, plate owners and motive remain unverified.

Additional useful records include Flock user-role assignments, account permission changes, result exports, audit alerts, supervisor approvals, the internal affairs file, search-warrant affidavits, retention settings and revised agency ALPR policies. Ask for records in native electronic format where available and request that any withholding identify the relevant Georgia Open Records Act exemption.

Timeline

July 18, 2015: Morrow begins Richmond County Sheriff’s Office employment, according to POST.
July 28, 2018: POST lists promotion to investigator.
August 31, 2026: Morrow and Jose Ferrer arrested, booked and terminated in separate alleged Flock misuse cases.
September 4, 2026: Georgia Public Broadcasting reports the two arrests.
September 7, 2026: Georgia POST investigation opened.
September 11, 2026: POST profile snapshot reflects suspended Basic Law Enforcement certification.
September 13, 2026: Shields of Shame’s prior reporting says an open-records request for Flock audit material was submitted.

Documents and image gallery

Georgia POST certification report — full PDF ↗

POST certification screenshot ↗

Sean Morrow photograph ↗

Shields of Shame case thumbnail ↗

Sean Edward Gunderson Morrow Richmond County Sheriff's Office photograph

Frequently asked questions

What was Sean Morrow accused of doing?

Using the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Flock system to search license plates for reasons unrelated to official law-enforcement duties.

What charges were reported?

Misuse of license plate readers and violation of oath of office. The Institute for Justice’s stalking classification is not itself a reported criminal charge.

Was Morrow terminated?

Yes. Both agency reporting and his supplied POST employment profile identify August 31, 2026, as his termination date.

Was his police certification suspended?

The supplied September 2026 Georgia POST profile lists Basic Law Enforcement as Suspended (POST Sanction), with overall status POST Review Required. A current POST record is needed for any subsequent changes.

Has he been convicted?

No final criminal disposition has been established by the materials reviewed for this article.

Sean Edward Gunderson Morrow — Richmond County Flock Investigation