Deputy placed on leave after allegations he created Facebook page targeting woman he arrested
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Corporal Charles Mills is now the subject of an internal investigation. The sheriff's office has also asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations.
The woman, Natasha Lopez, told WSB-TV that she spent months trying to determine who was behind an anonymous Facebook page that repeatedly targeted her and included personal information about her family.
The Facebook Page
According to the Cherokee County Solicitor General's Office, investigators determined that Mills was behind one of the Facebook pages.
Lopez said the page contained information about her family and allegedly included AI-generated material involving her. The page has since been deleted.
The allegations have raised questions about whether information obtained through Mills' law-enforcement duties was used in connection with the social-media activity.
The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against Mills have not been established as findings of wrongdoing.
The Dispute Began With an Arrest
The controversy dates back to August 2025, when Mills responded to Lopez's home while investigating a case involving her son.
Home surveillance video shows Lopez repeatedly asking Mills to show her a warrant as he entered the residence. Lopez was subsequently arrested for misdemeanor obstruction.
The sheriff's office has defended the deputies' actions, saying evidence connected to the investigation was inside the home and that Lopez blocked the doorway while deputies were attempting to secure the property.
Lopez and her attorney have disputed that account and raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the entry and arrest.
Allegations of Online Retaliation
The later Facebook allegations have added another layer to the dispute.
Lopez said she believed the anonymous page was intended to embarrass or harass her after her encounter with law enforcement. She has also questioned how information about her family appeared on the page.
The solicitor general's office's identification of Mills as the person behind the page prompted the sheriff's office to place him on administrative leave and seek an outside investigation.
Independent Investigation Requested
Rather than relying solely on an internal review, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office has requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation independently examine the allegations.
That investigation could help determine who operated the account, what information was used to create the posts and whether any laws, department policies or other rules were violated.
As of the latest reporting, Mills has not been publicly charged in connection with the Facebook allegations.
Questions Remain
The case now involves two separate issues: the circumstances surrounding Lopez's 2025 arrest and the much newer allegations that the officer involved later targeted her online.
The sheriff's office has not announced a final conclusion about Mills' conduct. The GBI investigation is expected to provide additional information as authorities examine the allegations.
For Lopez, the investigation represents an opportunity to answer a question that has followed her for months: who was behind the online campaign against her, and why?
Source: WSB-TV

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