The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced the arrest of former Pearson Police Chief Woodrow “Peewee” Burkhalter, who faces 28 counts each of theft by taking and theft by conversion.
The investigation began in January following a request from the Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office into allegations that Burkhalter misappropriated funds from the Atkinson County Christmas Fund, which was intended to provide gifts to underprivileged children during the holiday season. Burkhalter, 53, was one of the fund’s designated managers.
GBI investigators determined that between November 2019 and January 2026, Burkhalter and his wife, Angela Denise Burkhalter, also 53, misused his access to steal over $30,000 from the fund.
Angela Burkhalter was charged with one count each of being a party to the crime of theft by taking and theft by conversion. She was arrested by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, while Woodrow Burkhalter was taken into custody by the Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office. Both are currently booked in the Atkinson County Jail.
