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Former Towns County Deputy indicted for making false report

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Published  October 28, 2025 2:07pm EDT
Towns County
FOX 5 Atlanta
article

Former Towns County Deputy Austin Bradburn

The Brief

    • A Towns County deputy has been indicted after investigators said he shot himself in the leg and falsely reported being attacked during a traffic stop.
    • The GBI said Austin Nicholas Bradburn faces multiple charges, including false report of a crime and violation of oath.
    • The incident also led to the detainment of Hiawassee Police Officer José Carvajal by Sheriff Kenneth Henderson, who was later indicted and placed on leave.

TOWNS COUNTY, Ga. - A former Towns County Deputy has been indicted by a grand jury for multiple crimes after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says he shot himself in the leg and lied about.

What we know:

Austin Nicholas Bradburn was indicted on four counts of false report of a crime, two counts of making a false statement, and one count of violation of oath by a public officer. FOX 5 obtained the grand jury indictment on Tuesday.

The backstory:

The charges are related to a Dec. 13 incident in which then-Deputy Bradburn reported being shot by someone during a traffic stop. The GBI says he actually shot himself.

Dig deeper:

After reporting the shooting, multiple agencies rushed to the scene. One of those officers was Hiwassee Police Officer José Carvajal. While at the scene, Carvajal was detained by Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson. He has since been indicted and placed on leave.

The Source: Information in this article came from court documents and past FOX 5 reporting. 

Towns CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety