Ronald Sluss, an off-duty Atlanta Police Department detective, was arrested on Sept. 16 on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge in Cherokee County. (Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - An off-duty Atlanta police detective has been relieved of duty following his arrest for shoplifting a 12-pack of beer from a Publix in Canton while driving an undercover police vehicle, according to authorities.
What we know:
An incident report stated that Cherokee County Sheriff's Office deputies responded on Sept. 16 to the Publix located on Hickory Flat Highway regarding a shoplifting incident. Store management reported that a man, identified as Ronald Sluss, took a 12-pack of SweetWater IPA cans valued at $18.99 and walked past all checkout lanes holding an old receipt without paying.
Surveillance footage captured Sluss, an Atlanta Police Department detective, driving away in a silver Ford F-150, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Investigators confirmed the truck Sluss drove was an undercover APD vehicle.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant for misdemeanor theft by shoplifting and met with APD command staff, who reviewed the store's security footage.
Deputies and APD supervisors then went to Sluss's home, where he was taken into custody without incident, according to the arrest report. Executing a search of the undercover truck, deputies located sunglasses matching the suspect's description and old Publix receipts for SweetWater IPA. Deputies noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from Sluss and inside the vehicle, along with a large pile of empty SweetWater IPA cans and boxes in a shed next to where the truck was parked.
Sluss was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and issued a formal criminal trespass warning banning him from returning to the Publix location.
In a statement posted to its website, APD confirmed that Sluss was relieved of duty and placed in a non-enforcement status while its Office of Professional Standards opens an investigation.
"It is to be noted that the Atlanta Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously, and officers are expected to abide by the highest standards of our profession," the department added.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not disclosed Sluss's total length of service with the department.
It's unclear if Sluss was granted bond at this time.
The Source: Information in this story came from an incident report from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and a statement from the Atlanta Police Department.