Ex-Clayton cop Jonathan S. Callahan going to prison for corruption

A former Clayton County police officer will spend more than five years in federal prison after being sentenced Tuesday for public corruption, drugs and civil rights violations, the U.S. Attoey's Office announced.

Jonathan S. Callahan, 28, of Fayetteville was accused of accepting bribes to protect an illegal drug deal and stealing guns from a motorist.

He was sentenced to 5 years 2 months behind bars, plus 3 years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 after being indicted on numerous charges in August 2010.

"Jonathan S. Callahan’s actions were that of a selfish individual and not reflective of this department," Clayton police Chief Gregory Porter said in the news release.

While on duty and in his marked police vehicle on Aug. 6, 2010, Callahan provided protection for a drug transaction that he believed involved at least a kilogram of cocaine, authorities said. The deal tued out to be a sting operation.

The officer sold his services for $1,000, they said.

Callahan also was convicted of a civil rights violation -- unreasonable seizure by a police officer -- for stealing two firearms from a motorist he had stopped for a traffic violation on July 15, 2010.

”It is unthinkable that a citizen stopped by a police officer on our roads would become the victim of highway robbery at the hands of that officer," U.S. Attoey Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement.