Georgia · Coweta County · Crime & Courts
Michael McGuffey, Coweta County GA: Former Deputy and School Resource Officer Indicted on Child Molestation Charges
A Coweta County grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday, and the former deputy surrendered at the county jail the next day. He resigned from the sheriff's office in April 2025, and the GBI took over the criminal investigation. He is charged, not convicted.
Key facts
- Who
- Michael Robert McGuffey, 60 — a former Coweta County sheriff's deputy, per The Newnan Times-Herald
- Former role
- School resource officer at Smokey Road Middle School — resigned from the sheriff's office on April 29, 2025
- Charges
- Child molestation (3 counts) and enticing a minor (2 counts), per the Coweta County Sheriff's Office as reported by The Newnan Times-Herald
- Indicted
- Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, by a Coweta County grand jury
- Arrested
- Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 — he turned himself in at the Coweta County Jail
- Alleged period
- Aug. 1, 2019 to March 16, 2020, per court documents cited by FOX 5 Atlanta
- Investigated by
- Coweta County Sheriff's Office, then the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- Court
- Coweta County Superior Court
- Status
- Accused. An indictment is not a conviction, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty
- What is Michael McGuffey charged with?
- Who is Michael McGuffey, and where did he work?
- How did the case against him begin?
- When was he indicted, and when was he arrested?
- Which agencies investigated the Coweta County case?
- What time period do the charges cover?
- What does an indictment mean at this stage?
- What we don't know yet
- Frequently asked questions
What is Michael McGuffey charged with?
A former Coweta County sheriff's deputy who worked as a school resource officer has been indicted and arrested on child sex charges.
The Newnan Times-Herald reported that a Coweta County grand jury indicted him on three counts of child molestation, plus two counts of enticing a minor, citing the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported the same five counts from an arrest order filed in Coweta County Superior Court, and gave the second charge its longer statutory name, enticing a child for indecent purposes. WSB-TV described the charges as multiple counts of child molestation and enticing a minor.
He has been accused, not convicted. A grand jury indictment is a charging decision, not a verdict, and no evidence in the case has been tested at trial.
Who is Michael McGuffey, and where did he work?
The Newnan Times-Herald identified him as Michael Robert McGuffey, 60.
All three outlets place his last law enforcement assignment at Smokey Road Middle School in Coweta County, where he served as a school resource officer.
WSB-TV reported that the Coweta County Sheriff's Office confirmed the school resource officer post to reporter Ashlyn Webb, and that the school district told Webb his last job at the school was more than a year ago.
How did the case against him begin?
With a tip. The Times-Herald and WSB-TV both report that the Coweta County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous complaint on April 3, 2025 alleging that McGuffey had made inappropriate comments toward students and had exchanged text messages with at least one student while he was employed by the agency.
He was placed on administrative leave the following day while the sheriff's office ran an internal investigation, the Times-Herald reported. WSB-TV placed the leave the day after the tip.
McGuffey resigned on April 29, 2025, with the investigation still open, the Times-Herald reported.
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When was he indicted, and when was he arrested?
The grand jury returned the indictment on Aug. 12, 2026, a Wednesday, the Times-Herald reported. WSB-TV also placed the indictment on Wednesday.
McGuffey turned himself in at the Coweta County Jail the next day, Aug. 13, according to the Times-Herald. WSB-TV reported the surrender came Thursday, after the previous day's indictment.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the arrest order filed in superior court directed the sheriff to take him into custody, and that the document states he had not been arrested on the charges before the grand jury acted.
Which agencies investigated the Coweta County case?
Two. The sheriff's office started it, and the GBI took it from there.
According to the Times-Herald, additional allegations of possible criminal conduct surfaced during the sheriff's office internal investigation, and the criminal case was then handed to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. WSB-TV reported that McGuffey was placed on administrative leave the day after the tip and that the GBI took over the case.
The GBI carried the investigation forward to the August indictment, the Times-Herald reported, adding that the sheriff's office is referring questions about the criminal investigation to the GBI.
What time period do the charges cover?
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that court documents put the alleged offense period between Aug. 1, 2019 and March 16, 2020 — six to seven years before the grand jury returned the indictment.
What does an indictment mean at this stage?
It means a grand jury found enough evidence to bring the case to court. It does not mean anything has been proven.
McGuffey has not entered a plea in public, no trial date has been announced, and no court has weighed the evidence behind the five counts. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
FOX 5 Atlanta stated the same in its report, describing the charges as allegations and McGuffey as presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
What we don't know yet
- Whether McGuffey remains in the Coweta County Jail, or has been released on bond
- Whether he has entered a plea, and when he is due back in court
- Whether he is represented by an attorney
- Whether the alleged victim was a Coweta County student — WSB-TV reported that the indictment does not indicate it
- Whether the sheriff's office internal investigation reached any finding before he resigned
Frequently asked questions
Who is Michael McGuffey?
A former Coweta County sheriff's deputy whose last assignment was as a school resource officer at Smokey Road Middle School, according to FOX 5 Atlanta, WSB-TV and The Newnan Times-Herald. The Times-Herald gives his full name as Michael Robert McGuffey and his age as 60. He resigned from the sheriff's office on April 29, 2025.
What is Michael McGuffey charged with?
Three counts of child molestation, plus two counts of enticing a minor, The Newnan Times-Herald reported, citing the Coweta County Sheriff's Office. FOX 5 Atlanta, citing an arrest order filed in Coweta County Superior Court, gives the same counts and names the second charge as enticing a child for indecent purposes.
Has Michael McGuffey been convicted of anything?
No. An indictment is an accusation returned by a grand jury, not a finding of guilt. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, and FOX 5 Atlanta made the same point in its report.
When was he indicted?
A Coweta County grand jury returned the indictment on Aug. 12, 2026, according to The Newnan Times-Herald. WSB-TV reported the grand jury acted Wednesday, which was Aug. 12.
When was he arrested?
He turned himself in at the Coweta County Jail on Aug. 13, 2026, according to The Newnan Times-Herald. WSB-TV reported that he surrendered Thursday, the day after the indictment.
What time period do the charges cover?
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that court documents list the alleged offense period as Aug. 1, 2019 to March 16, 2020.
Which agency investigated the case?
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office opened an internal investigation and then handed the criminal investigation to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to The Newnan Times-Herald and WSB-TV. The Times-Herald reported that the sheriff's office referred questions about the criminal investigation to the GBI.
How did the investigation begin?
With an anonymous tip to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office on April 3, 2025, according to The Newnan Times-Herald and WSB-TV. The complaint alleged that McGuffey had made inappropriate comments toward students and had exchanged text messages with at least one student.
Was the alleged victim a Coweta County student?
WSB-TV reported that the indictment did not indicate whether the victim was a Coweta County student.
Which court has the case?
Coweta County Superior Court. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the arrest order directing the sheriff to take McGuffey into custody was filed there after the grand jury returned the indictment.
Sources
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the named news outlets linked above. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Anyone named in connection with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. This report does not name or describe anyone identified as a victim in the indictment. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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