TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) arrested James Richard Joines Jr., 56, the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director for Telfair County, on Wednesday over allegations of stealing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) from the county courthouse.
Sheriff Sim Davidson requested the GBI’s involvement to investigate the alleged theft. AEDs are critical lifesaving devices that analyze heart rhythms and deliver electric shocks during cardiac arrest.
Joines told 13WMAZ he found the AED beeping last week and noticed its battery was dead. He said he took the device to his office to order a replacement battery.
The next day, GBI agents questioned him about the AED, and about a week later, Joines was informed of an arrest warrant. He voluntarily turned himself in and was released on bond.
Joines claimed the arrest was politically motivated, stating, “They’ve been wanting me out of that position since I was put in it.”
He has served as Telfair County EMA Director since November 2024, succeeding former director Lee Connor. Joines says he has not received any updates about his job status.
The GBI charged Joines with misdemeanor theft by taking and felony interference with government property. The AED was recovered during the investigation.
The Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office will review the case once the investigation concludes.
