Stanley Sheriff

“I’m feeling better now than I’ve felt in many years,” said Seneca Police Chief Stanley Sheriff.

That was Sheriff’s reaction after learning he had been acquitted of misdemeanor shoplifting charges in Toccoa, Ga., late Thursday evening. He said he is feeling fit and intents to return to the helm of the city’s police force.

Sheriff was accused of shoplifting a camera at Toccoa’s Wal-Mart in April. But it had been his contention that a stroke he suffered left him temporarily with no memory of even being in the store.

“We’ve been through a traumatic experience and when I say we it’s been my family,” Sheriff said. “When you’re in the public eye then you become more visible than most and my family has been wonderful throughout this whole ordeal. They have suffered along side of me and we feel a sense of relief today.”

After a meeting Friday afternoon with the city administrator and attorney, Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander was noncommittal about if and when the 45year-old Sheriff would be returning to duty.

“We have been reviewing some of the reports,” Alexander said. “I know that there will be some other things that we will be asked to review, such as medical reports and such. But at this time being a personnel issues I’m not at liberty to talk about it a lot but we are reviewing everything.”

Sheriff has made clear that he intends to return to his duties. He said that he and his doctors have taken stride to try to ensure that he won’t suffer another stroke.

“My love is the Seneca Police Department,” Sheriff said. “I have invested a lot of time in that department. When I suffered this stroke I was working that day and I had been working long hours before that.

“Certainly when you have a serious incident that occurs like this you have to take a little time to recover and then you have to rethink your position on how to approach managing a department as the Seneca Police Department…,” he said.

Sheriff said he and his family have been humbled by support from the community.

“I’ve received so many phone calls, cards, letters, well wishes and commitments of prayer,” he said. “It’s been not only financially taxing on us. It’s been medically taxing and we’ve been involved with five doctors.”

Sheriff added that his health and peace of mind have benefited from the acquittal of all charges by the Toccoa municipal court.

“It was very evident that the prosecutor in Toccoa did a thorough investigation and we cooperated with her in providing her with medical evidence and thereby leading to the acquittal,” he said.