Cobb sheriff’s chief of staff charged with insurance fraud

The chief of staff for the Cobb County Sheriff's Office was arrested Friday and charged with insurance fraud and making false statements.

Maj. Braxton Tyree Cotton, 41, of Atlanta, was charged Friday after turning himself in to his own employer, according to jail records. He was booked into the Cobb County jail around 11:40 a.m. and released less than an hour later on his own recognizance.

Details about the charges, such as Cotton's arrest warrant, were not immediately available.

In a statement, Sheriff Craig Owens said Cotton had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

"The investigation is unrelated to his duties at the Cobb County Sheriff's Office," the statement said. "Sheriff Owens will await the culmination of a fair trial before further commenting on the case."

According to the sheriff's office website, Cotton's job is "synchronizing executive operations at the Sheriff's Office." He previously worked jobs at the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Governor's Office of Transition, Support and Reentry, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Cotton has also worked as a police officer, deputy sheriff and state trooper, per the sheriff's website. He is a U.S. Army reservist and since 2000 has held various roles in the U.S. Army's infantry, psychological operations, logistics and military intelligence.