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Written by: A. Smith
Published October 28, 2025 @ 1:11 PM ET
TOWNS COUNTY, Ga. – A Towns County sheriff’s deputy accused of shooting himself and lying about it has been indicted, and the county’s sheriff now faces his own criminal charges and suspension tied to the same chaotic night.
On the night of December 13, 2024, Towns County deputy Austin Bradburn reported being shot during a traffic stop on Plottown Road in Young Harris. He claimed that after pulling over a silver Honda for a missing license plate, the driver approached him and a struggle ensued in which Bradburn said he fired his weapon and was hit twice in the leg. He alleged the suspect fled the scene, leaving behind a gun, and multiple law enforcement agencies responded to assist. Bradburn was airlifted to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and publicly urged authorities to capture the alleged shooter.
After an independent investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that Bradburn’s story was fabricated. Evidence did not support his account, and investigators concluded he made multiple false statements and violated his oath of office, not only in Towns County but also in neighboring Union and Hall counties. Bradburn was subsequently arrested and charged with filing a false report of a crime and violating his oath of office
On Monday, Deputy Austin Bradburn was indicted on charges of making a false report of a crime, giving false statements to investigators, and violating his oath of office.
A Towns County grand jury also handed up an indictment against Sheriff Kenneth Henderson, who has been suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp pending the outcome of the investigation.
According to investigative documents and body camera footage reviewed by authorities, Hiawassee Police Officer José Carvajal, a combat veteran who served in both the U.S. Navy and Army, responded to the call about the deputy’s shooting, even though it was outside his jurisdiction. When he arrived, Carvajal used his military training to apply a tourniquet to Bradburn’s wound and called in a description of a possible suspect.
In the confusion, Carvajal picked up Bradburn’s gun by mistake, thinking it was his own. Video shows Carvajal placing the gun back in its holster, but other emergency personnel urged him to keep it secured. He then tucked it into his waistband after realizing it was evidence and told those at the scene he would not touch the weapon again until Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents arrived.
The situation quickly escalated when Henderson arrived. Witnesses and multiple body cameras captured the sheriff confronting Carvajal about the gun. As Carvajal tried to walk away, he told the sheriff to “get away from me.” The video shows Henderson following Carvajal, grabbing him, spinning him around, and ordering that he be arrested.
Several deputies were seen on body camera attempting to hold their boss back during the confrontation, expressing shock and dismay at the sheriff’s behavior.
Less than 24 hours after the footage became known to state officials, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association sent a letter to Gov. Kemp requesting that he appoint a committee “of two sheriffs and the Attorney General to investigate” Henderson’s “apparent misconduct,” citing “a high degree of unprofessionalism and possible criminal behavior which occurred in December of 2024.” Kemp signed the executive order suspending Henderson later that same day.
A special prosecutor, Frank Wood, district attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, has been assigned to handle the case. On Monday, Wood presented the case to a Towns County grand jury, which indicted Henderson on seven charges related to his confrontation with Carvajal. The indictment includes three counts of violation of oath by a public officer, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of simple battery on a police officer, and one count of simple battery.
After the indictment, Henderson turned himself in to the Towns County Jail — the same facility he oversaw as sheriff. He parked in the sheriff’s reserved spot before walking inside to be booked. Henderson was later released on a recognizance bond.
Both Henderson’s and Bradburn’s cases remain open as state investigators continue to examine the events surrounding the December 2024 incident that began as a shooting report and ended with two law enforcement officers now facing felony indictments.