Another Towns County Volunteer Firefighter Arrested

Jerry Wayne Canterbury

Harper Tate

389 Country

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested Jerry Wayne Canterbury, a 55-year-old volunteer firefighter from Towns County, on charges related to fraud and forgery. Canterbury faces two counts of Misdemeanor False Statements or Falsified Records and one count of Felony Computer Forgery following a months-long investigation into financial misconduct.

The GBI launched its probe on December 12, 2024, after being called to assist with a theft investigation involving Canterbury. Authorities uncovered evidence that he had falsified documents tied to the Firefighter Pension Fund and engaged in computer forgery. Canterbury was taken into custody on March 17, 2025, and booked into the Towns County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation remains active, and the GBI is urging anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app. Once completed, the case will be handed over to the Enotah Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

This arrest marks another legal blow to the Towns County volunteer firefighting community. In the same week, fellow firefighter Scott Kerlin, 42, also of Hiawassee, was arrested on misdemeanor obstruction charges. Kerlin’s arrest stemmed from an incident where he allegedly took and shared photographs of the bodies of twin brothers, Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, found shot dead atop Bell Mountain on March 8. That case, initially deemed a murder-suicide by the GBI, remains under scrutiny as the twins’ family disputes the findings.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.