Austell officer arrested again on charges of child molestation
Apr. 3—An Austell police officer accused of molesting a 7-year-old paid his $75,000 bond March 24, two weeks after his arrest in March.
Less than a week later, he was back in jail.
Matthew Atkins, 55, of Dallas, was arrested again Tuesday in Carroll County, also on child molestation charges, according to jail records.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office did not respond to a request for details about the case.
Atkins was first arrested March 10 by Cobb police, according to Cobb jail records.
According to his arrest warrant, Atkins repeatedly inappropriately touched the 7-year-old girl and forced her to touch him. He is also accused of engaging in a sex act in front of her.
He was charged with three counts of child molestation and one count of violating an oath by a public officer, jail records show.
Atkins is under investigation by the Peace Office Standards and Training Council, which has suspended his basic law enforcement certification.
According to P.O.S.T. records, Atkins joined the Powder Springs Police Department in 1991. He left in 2002 to join the Douglasville Police Department, and "resigned in lieu of termination" after checking emails related to his ordering illegal steroids while on a work computer.
