Deputy suspended, faces firing over Arbery comment

Houston County, Ga., deputy Paul Urhahn was suspended and now faces firing over social media comments he made about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, WGXA reports.

Arbery’s slaying in Brunswick, Ga., made national headlines after a video was shared online of three white men chasing him down and shooting him while he was jogging through a neighborhood.

All three men were found guilty of murder in November and sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

Following the sentencing, Urhahn commented on a WXGA Facebook post announcing the news, saying, “That criminal arbery still got the death penalty though.”

The comment has now been removed, but screenshots were obtained by WGXA and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office conducted an investigation into the matter that concluded with Urhahn’s suspension “without pay pending termination.”

The suspension announcement was accompanied by a letter from Sheriff Cullen Talton identifying the specific policies Urhahn had violated by his comment.

Urhahn’s employment will be terminated on Jan. 20 if he does not choose to appeal the decision.