A former South Fulton police detective claims his investigations into alleged corruption, theft of public funds and misconduct by city officials and employees led to retaliation against him.
Cecil Hutchins also alleges in a federal lawsuit that City Manager Sharon Subadan tipped off the entire South Fulton City Council about one of Hutchins’ investigations, and council member Keosha Bell told a suspect about a woman who had informed on him.
“After the city manager and City Councilwoman Keosha Bell blew the cover off the entire investigation, the city manager stopped Detective Hutchins from taking warrants against Keosha Bell for obstruction of justice,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint names as defendants the city and interim Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander. It alleges violation of the Georgia Whistleblower Act and First Amendment retaliation.
In a statement, the city said it takes such allegations “very seriously” but denied Subadan “stopped an investigation or prohibited Hutchins from issuing a warrant against anyone relating to any investigation.”
The statement also says it is false that Subadan “compromised the integrity of an investigation by relaying limited personnel information to the City Council.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
“Recent statements made by a former employee are false, and I categorically deny them,” Bell, the mayor pro tem, said in an emailed statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “At this time, my singular focus is to serve the people of the city of South Fulton. I will continue to lead with integrity, respect for the law and confidence that the truth will prevail.”
Hutchins’ lawsuit, filed May 28 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, comes after the resignation in January of police Chief Keith Meadows, whom the city placed on leave last summer. It also follows an independent review that found the South Fulton Police Department applies discipline practices and promotion policies inconsistently, leading to widespread perceptions of disparate treatment among its ranks.
The South Fulton City Council requested a probe of the department in July, after two former officers filed lawsuits against Meadows and the city, alleging abuse of authority, retaliation, influencing polygraph tests and allowing a relative to avoid criminal charges.
Subadan, the city manager, informed the City Council in August — two days after Meadows went on administrative leave — that Alexander would assist in oversight of the city’s police and fire departments.
Alexander, a former DeKalb County director of public safety with more than 40 years of law enforcement experience, told the AJC last week that his contract ends in October.
He declined to comment on Hutchins’ lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Hutchins worked for the U.S. Postal Service for two years before joining South Fulton police as a recruit in 2022.
In March 2025, he moved to the department’s corruption unit. A few months later, Meadows put Hutchins in charge of an investigation into allegations that city employees were stealing money, his lawsuit says.
In July, Subadan told the City Council about the investigation during executive session, “as evidenced by text messages” from council member Bell to a suspect in the investigation, Hal Moon, the lawsuit says.
Bell told Moon, a civil engineer for the city, “about a woman who informed on him,” and Moon confirmed the informant’s identity, according to the complaint.
“The entire investigation was blown wide open, exposing all suspects and Detective Hutchins’ informant at the time,” the lawsuit says.
Moon was arrested July 9 and faces charges of bribery, theft by deception and forgery in the first degree, court records show. He has not been indicted. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to an email from the AJC asking about progress of the case.
Moon denied the allegations on Tuesday.
“I am waiting for my day in court so that my truth — the truth — can be shared,” Moon told the AJC. “I have not, did not, would not steal anything.” He also denied committing bribery.
Moon added that the informant gave false information against him because she was upset he had ended a romantic relationship between them.
When asked about the alleged communication between council member Bell and him about the investigation, he said he did not recall it.
On Aug. 12, Hutchins told police officials, the city manager and others about a case of missing money and the employees he believed were guilty and mentioned “the case was with the FBI,” the lawsuit says.
Hutchins was investigating six city of South Fulton employees and one former employee for theft and falsifying government records to facilitate the theft of city funds, the lawsuit says.
Alexander “kicked everyone off the corruption unit,” except for Hutchins, and told Hutchins to “chill out,” according to the lawsuit, which adds the department locked Hutchins out of the FBI files “for his own investigation.”
The FBI told the AJC it is aware of the allegations of employees stealing money, but will not confirm if it is conducting an investigation.
Hutchins’ lawsuit adds that Alexander took away Hutchins’ take-home vehicle, a 2023 Tahoe fully equipped with lights and sirens, in late September. It was replaced with a Jeep Cherokee without any police equipment; the Jeep was later taken away from him, too, the lawsuit says.
On Oct. 7, Alexander “officially disbanded the entire corruption unit by kicking Detective Hutchins out and telling him to find a different role within the department.”
The lawsuit describes Alexander as “obsessed with retaliating against Hutchins.” In December, Alexander’s assistant told Hutchins he should consider resigning because he would be fired if he didn’t leave.
A few days later, on Dec. 20, Hutchins was demoted while he was on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, the lawsuit says.
It adds that Hutchins “involuntarily resigned” Feb. 9.
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