A lieutenant with the Guyton Police Department has been arrested.
Joseph Coppola was arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. According to the jail portal, Coppola was booked into the jail on one count of False Statements or Writings in Matters of Government, a felony. The listed offense date is September 3, 2024.
TheGeorgiaVirtue.com has requested the warrants for Coppola’s charges, but the request is pending given the after hours booking.
Coppola, who was hired by former Chief Stacy Strickland and has worked for the Guyton Police Department since 2017, is no stranger to headlines or controversy. He previously worked for the City of Rincon and resigned after being told that the disciplinary actions taken against him were set to be taken before city council.
In March of 2019, after the abrupt departure of nearly everyone at Guyton PD, Coppola served as interim police chief. He was then demoted under a previous administration for a host of indiscretions, which included insubordination, inexplicable missing documents, and an inability to recruit additional officers among other things.
Coppola appealed his demotion and took legal action against the city, leading to his eventual reinstatement. In January 2020, a lengthy expose was published on Coppola’s background. Much of Coppola’s personnel file prior to 2020 can no longer be found in city records, but previously published TGV articles revealed Coppola filed complaints against administrators who sought to discipline him. He largely flew under the radar during the tumultuous tenure of James Breletic from March 2020 to January 2024. Coppola again held the position of interim chief in 2024 between the departure of Breletic and the hiring of current Chief Kelphie Lundy. Since Lundy’s appointment, Coppola has worked as a lieutenant.
TheGeorgiaVirtue.com reached out to the City of Guyton for comment and is awaiting a response, however, the traditionally, employees are placed on paid administrative leave.
This story is developing. Check back to TheGeorgiaVirtue.com for updates….
