Georgia Cop Resigns After Promotion, Arrested for Child Cruelty

A police sergeant in Georgia celebrated her promotion just one month ago before resigning in shame and facing arrest for child cruelty charges. Shada Canzater, 35, served as a sergeant with the Hapeville Police Department until she was taken into custody by deputies from the Houston County Sheriff's Office on August 31. WSB-TV reported the details of her arrest. She now stands accused of first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated assault, and simple assault related to family violence. Her bond is set at $5,000.

Officials have withheld specific information about what triggered this arrest, but Hapeville Police Chief Bruce M Hedley announced on Thursday that Canzater had stepped down from her role. This announcement arrives barely over a month after the department posted on Facebook confirming her elevation to sergeant. Chief Hedley stated that these promotions reflect dedication and hard work earned through professional growth. He emphasized that leadership is more than a title; it demands a commitment to serve, mentor, and set an example for others. His comments applied to Canzater and two other officers promoted in the August 5 post.

According to Georgia Police Office Standards and Training Council files obtained by 11 Alive, Canzater had worked at Hapeville since May 2019 and received two promotions during her tenure. She faces a complex legal history that includes an investigation in 2024. That inquiry followed an incident where she struck and killed a man while driving her patrol vehicle the year before. It remains unclear if this current internal probe connects directly to that crash, yet she did face four misdemeanor counts stemming from it. Those charges included two counts of second-degree homicide by vehicle, failure to yield right of way at a crosswalk, and failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian. A final plea hearing was scheduled for the end of this month after several legal delays.

Affidavits regarding the incident place Canzater on duty in a marked patrol car traveling along Central Avenue in Atlanta toward the Fulton County Courthouse. She stopped at a traffic light on Martin Luther King Jr Drive. Police said she sat behind another vehicle that was second in line to turn. When the light turned green, the lead car moved forward. At that moment, Donell Holiday, 63, a local attorney, crossed the street. Video footage shows him moving into the path of the police cruiser. An online fundraiser his wife created helped cover medical expenses after the crash.

Holiday was just two to three feet outside the crosswalk when he crossed two lanes of traffic before being struck. Affidavits claim he waved his hands for her to stop moments before her left front headlight hit him. The force threw him several feet into the air, where his head struck the pavement. He rushed to a local hospital for brain surgery but died on March 8, 2024. That date was little over six months after he was hit in July 2024 when she was subsequently arrested.