Former Hapeville Officer Arrested On Child Cruelty Charges

Shada Canzater stood at the rank of sergeant less than thirty days ago when her life took a sudden turn. She had recently celebrated a promotion with her colleagues in Hapeville, Georgia. Now she faces arrest for child cruelty charges. Deputies from the Houston County Sheriff's Office booked her on August 31. WSB-TV reported the details of this developing story.

Canzater, thirty-five years old, now stands accused of first-degree cruelty to children. She also faces aggravated assault and simple assault related to family violence. Officials kept quiet about exactly what happened before the arrest. Police Chief Bruce M Hedley did announce one clear fact on Thursday: Canzater has resigned from her job with the Hapeville Police Department.

The department had posted news of her promotion on Facebook just over a month prior. In that post, Hedley praised the new officers for their hard work and dedication. He wrote that leadership means more than just holding a title. It is a promise to serve others and set an example. Canzater joined two other officers who received the same honor in August.

Records from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council show Canzater had worked there since May 2019. She had earned two promotions during her tenure. Yet she has a complicated history with the law that officials have not fully explained. In 2024, she was investigated for an incident involving a fatal crash in her patrol vehicle. That event occurred a year before the current charges came to light.

She faced four misdemeanor counts stemming from that accident. Two of those were second-degree homicide by vehicle. She also failed to yield right of way at a crosswalk and to a pedestrian. A plea hearing was scheduled for late this month after several legal delays pushed the date forward.

The crash happened on Central Avenue in Atlanta. Canzater drove her marked patrol car toward the Fulton County Courthouse. She stopped at a traffic light on Martin Luther King Jr Drive. The video showed she was second in line to turn when the light changed. The first vehicle moved ahead as Donell Holiday crossed the street.

Holiday, sixty-three years old and an Air Force veteran, walked toward his job that day. His wife set up an online fundraiser to pay for his medical bills after he was struck. An affidavit stated he was only two or three feet outside the crosswalk when the impact occurred. He had already crossed two lanes of traffic. Witnesses saw him wave his hands asking her to stop moments before the left front headlight hit him.

His body flew several feet into the air and slammed onto pavement. His head struck the ground hard. Emergency crews rushed him to a local hospital for brain surgery. Despite the medical effort, he died on March 8, 2024. That date was just over six months after the accident. Canzater faced arrest in July of that same year.