A police officer who once worked for the Jackson (GA) Police Department claimed in September 2016 that she had been shot by a six-foot-tall, 230-pound African American male.
The initial report by Officer Sherry Hall said that the man had suddenly opened fire on her and that she had returned fire.
Her assertion sparked a manhunt in the area, located about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.
When the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began looking into the incident, investigators found that Hall had made inconsistent statements about the evidence. Hall reportedly also inconsistently described the alleged shooter, according to reports.
Ten days after the shooting, Hall was charged with multiple felonies—including witness tampering, making false statements and multiple counts of violating her oath as an officer, according to the Washington Post.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson reportedly said in delivering his ruling, "One percent of the police officers in the United States are ruining it for 99 percent of the others. What you've done—you've put such a black eye on law enforcement. It's hard for them to overcome it. We've got so many folks fighting us nowadays, and you just added to it."
Hall has now been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
