The Georgia State Board is investigating allegations of voter intimidation stemming from an incident on Election Day at the Dade County Administrative Building.
The allegations were filed by Trenton Police Commissioner Mike Norris, whose position was on the ballot at the time. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, an investigation is currently open, but officials say they are unable to release details, including reports or interviews, until the investigation is complete.
The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on November 4, when a group of students from the Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC) gathered outside the administrative building after voting.
Dade County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tommy Bradford provided details of the incident in an interview with Local 3 News. Bradford said the students were transported to the polling location by Ryan Faircloth, a member of the Downtown Development Authority board, who offered free rides to student voters on Election Day.
According to Bradford, the students reported being recorded by a man sitting in an unmarked truck while they stood outside the building. The students said the man motioned for them to approach the vehicle, and once closer, they realized he was wearing a badge.
The man was later identified as Trenton Police Chief Steve Beaudoin. The students told investigators that Beaudoin threatened to take them to jail and charge them with disorderly conduct for allegedly making an obscene gesture toward him.
Local 3 News obtained security video from the Dade County Administrative Building that appears to document the encounter. The footage shows the students exiting the building around 5 p.m. and standing together. At approximately 5:03 p.m., an unmarked truck arrives, and a man identified as Chief Beaudoin appears to hold his phone toward the group.
In the video, several students can be seen giving a thumbs-up gesture, while one student stands behind the group. The students allege Chief Beaudoin accused them of “giving him the bird” and threatened them with arrest. Bradford told Local 3 that showing a law enforcement officer the middle finger is protected speech under U.S. Supreme Court rulings and is not, by itself, illegal.
At 5:04 p.m., Chief Beaudoin motions for the students to come to his vehicle. Two students approach and speak with him for just over two minutes before returning to the group. The students then leave the property at approximately 5:11 p.m. in the van provided by Faircloth.
The video shows Chief Beaudoin remaining at the location for more than 20 minutes. At 5:32 p.m., another vehicle arrives, and Trenton Police Commissioner Mike Norris is seen exiting Chief Beaudoin’s truck at 5:35 p.m. before leaving the premises shortly afterward.
Authorities later confirmed that Norris alleged Faircloth provided students with alcohol in exchange for votes. Faircloth denied the accusation in a statement to Local 3 News, calling the claim false and defamatory.
“The allegation that I supplied alcohol in connection with voter activity is false,” Faircloth said. “I have never engaged in such conduct. My actions were lawful in all respects. No laws were broken by me.”
Faircloth said the accusation caused reputational harm and was intended to deflect from the conduct of others involved in the incident.
Bradford said that when investigators asked students if they received anything in exchange for voting, they responded that they received only “a free ride.” However, Bradford added that an SLTC instructor later told detectives they overheard students claiming alcohol had been provided.
Local 3 News reported multiple attempts were made to contact Chief Beaudoin and Commissioner Norris for comment, but no response has been received.
The investigation remains ongoing.
