SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA POST INVESTIGATION
Walter Lee Craft Jr.: The police chief, the city computer and the truthfulness finding
Brooklet’s former police chief denied intentionally viewing pornographic websites on city equipment. The investigation described browser-history evidence that contradicted his account—and Georgia POST revoked his certification.
Brooklet Police Department, Georgia
October 28–29, 2020
Certification revoked
POST records and computer history
Why this case matters
This is not simply a story about inappropriate browsing at work. It concerns a police chief’s use of public equipment while on duty, the department’s ability to serve its community, and the credibility of statements made when officials confronted him. A law enforcement leader’s truthfulness matters when the public must rely on that leader’s reports, testimony and decisions.
What the investigation records describe
According to the POST case narrative published with this investigation, two Brooklet City Council members confronted Chief Walter Lee Craft Jr. on or about October 28, 2020, over allegations that he viewed pornographic material using city-owned computer equipment while on duty. Craft denied intentionally visiting those sites. The narrative attributes to him explanations that material had appeared unexpectedly and that it had already been on the computer.
The investigation describes a subsequent examination of the computer. Investigators reported extensive website history, visit timing and indications of member access to certain sites. POST concluded that Craft had intentionally viewed the material and that his denial was untruthful. The narrative states that Craft was terminated on October 29, 2020, and did not respond to the POST investigation.
Important distinction: the finding described here is an administrative certification matter. The records reproduced on this page should not be read as proof of a criminal conviction.
The central question was not just what appeared on the computer. It was whether the chief told the truth when confronted.
A documented timeline
- October 28, 2020: City council members confronted Craft about use of city equipment, according to the POST narrative.
- Computer examination: The investigative account describes extensive browsing history and evidence interpreted as intentional visits.
- October 29, 2020: The narrative reports Craft’s termination.
- POST proceeding: Georgia POST revoked his peace officer certification following the truthfulness finding described in the case records.
See the evidence for yourself
Read the underlying records rather than relying only on a summary. These files were already published with the original Shields of Shame article.
Computer history
Download the original CSV for independent review. It may contain sensitive browsing information.
New reporting: what contemporary records revealed
In November 2020, reporter Jessica Szilagyi documented Craft’s dismissal and later obtained city records about the conduct behind it. The November 9 report quotes the city’s termination correspondence describing a review of the computer hard drive and browsing history by a city technology firm. The records also identify payments for accrued vacation and compensatory leave, but the reporting explicitly says there was no negotiated severance agreement. This contemporaneous account independently corroborates key elements of the POST narrative and corrects a misleading chronology in an older online version of the story: the termination was in October 2020, not early 2023.
Craft had become chief during a turbulent 2018 leadership transition. Contemporary reporting described earlier litigation concerning former Brooklet officers but expressly noted that Craft was not a named party in those lawsuits. Those earlier disputes should not be conflated with the later computer-use and truthfulness investigation.
Read the November 9, 2020 records-based report ↗ · Read the November 2, 2020 termination report ↗
Brooklet Police leadership after Craft
Gary Roberts later led Brooklet Police. Following his retirement effective October 31, 2024, Michelle Reolegio served as interim chief and was selected for the permanent job in January 2025, according to the Statesboro Herald. Brooklet’s current police department page lists Nickki Garman as interim chief. These are subsequent agency leadership developments, not evidence of any new finding against Craft.
Statesboro Herald leadership coverage ↗ · Current Brooklet Police Department page ↗
What remains unverified
The original POST narrative describes revocation, but this update has not located a new POST order reinstating Craft’s certification, an appeal judgment, or a related criminal conviction. A termination, a POST sanction and a criminal conviction are different outcomes. Readers should consult the linked source documents for the underlying findings.
Records worth requesting
Brooklet’s termination letter, the computer forensic report and chain of custody, council meeting minutes, any appeal materials, the complete Georgia POST investigative file and final certification order, and records identifying the computer-use policy in effect in 2020.
The public-interest questions
How did the city supervise the use of public equipment? What safeguards existed to ensure on-duty personnel were available for calls? How did officials preserve and examine the relevant computer evidence? And what did the POST truthfulness finding mean for the officer’s certification? Those questions extend beyond the content of a browser history to public trust in police leadership.
The original page also referenced a 2023 Brooklet police leadership transition and staffing concerns. That later account is not presented here as part of the October 2020 investigation without a separately established connection.
More accountability reporting
Explore documented Georgia law-enforcement investigations and the records behind them.
Georgia Flock Abuse Database · Shields of Shame investigation desk
Source note: This article summarizes the POST material and exhibits linked above. Administrative findings, allegations and criminal judgments are distinct categories of evidence.
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