The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ex-sergeant in Rockdale jail death case also part of gun investigation
He’s accused of taking guns from evidence unit to sell for cash.
The former Rockdale County Sheriff ’s Office sergeant accused of falsifying records in a jail inmate’s death is the same officer under investigation for accusations he took guns from the agency’s evidence unit to sell for cash, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
Sgt. Dan Lang, 37, was an evidence unit supervisor during an internal audit that found staff failed to record that they destroyed firearms as required, according to a report marked “confidential” that the AJC obtained. Lang, who could not be reached for comment, is accused of peddling the weapons to pawn shops instead of destroying them.
Through a spokeswoman, Sheriff Eric Levett said “he remains diligent since his first day in office” and “plans to continue his initiatives as they relate to accountability, operational effectiveness and administration.”
The agency transferred Lang to the jail Nov. 29. Inmate Shali Tilson, 22, was under Lang’s supervision when he died March 12 from blood clots in his lungs caused by dehydration. Jailers were supposed to perform 15 minute checks on Tilson, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but instead ignored him for more than three hours before he was found dead, a separate internal investigation found.
Lang admitted that he logged checks that he never made, the internal report said.
Tilson’s family is angry that the sheriff ’s office made Lang a jail supervisor after finding serious problems at his former unit.
“Why was he allowed to work in the jail?” Tilson’s mother Tyne-
sha Tilson asked. “We want to know.”
Tilson’s death sparked community protest, including a candlelight vigil scheduled for Saturday.
Lang was demoted from sergeant to corporal March 26 and given two days suspension for the evidence unit lapses. He resigned April 9 citing “family considerations.” GBI opened a theft investigation into Lang on April 10 at the request of a sheriff ’s office supervisor.
Auditors found that evidence bags were torn or unsealed in the evidence unit. Firearms were kept in the wrong locations, and storage for long guns was deemed “unsafe,” according to a Jan. 8 report. Ammunition ordered destroyed or returned to its owner was passed out to staff, even though Lang was told to stop.
“I personally told Sgt. Lang over a year ago during an annual audit for state certification that this practice was not acceptable,” an auditor said in the evidence unit report.
The GBI investigation into the possible gun thefts is ongoing. Its investigation into Tilson’s death is being reviewed by the Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office. State certification records state that Lang remains cleared to be employed by state law enforcement agencies.