Former Officer Indicted on Theft, False Statement Charges

Photo: Shane Ladner. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff’s Office

A former officer with the Holly Springs Police Department has been indicted on several charges in connection to allegations he falsely claimed to have received a Purple Heart decoration.

A Cherokee County grand jury on Monday indicted Shane Ladner of Canton on one count of making a false statement and five counts of theft by deception.

According to the indictment, the making false statement charge stems from Ladner telling Cherokee Sheriff’s Office detectives in May 2013 that he “was wounded by shrapnel from a grenade explosion in Central America when his unit came under hostile fire while he was on active duty in the United States Army and that he received a Purple Heart Citation due to the injuries he suffered in Central America.”

The theft by deception charges stem from Ladner allegedly using the false events to bypass paying ad valorem taxes to receive a free Purple Heart Georgia license plate in 2012, 2011, 2010 and on two occasions in 2009, the indictment says.

Ladner was arrested in June 2013 following a six-week investigation done at the request of Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney Shannon Wallace, which revealed that Ladner did not receive a Purple Heart, the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office said at the time.

The United States Army had no record of the 2004 dd214 that Ladner allegedly presented to obtain his Purple Heart Georgia license plate, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Jay Baker told Patch at the time of Ladner’s arrest.

Allegations initially surfaced in an investigation conducted by Fox 5 Atlanta, which claimed Ladner allegedly lied about getting a Purple Heart citation in Panama in order to become eligible for the Hunt for Heroes event, an all-expenses paid trip organized by Show Of Support that consists of a whitetail deer hunt, an honorary banquet and a parade recognizing the wounded warriors for their service to the country.

During the parade, the float Shane and wife Meg Ladner were riding on was hit by a train, killing four people and injured 17.

As a result of the accident, Ladner’s wife Meg lost her left leg. The accident propelled friends and the community to organize fundraising efforts to help the couple pay for medical expenses.

The allegations also prompted the Holly Springs Police Department to terminate Ladner’s employment with the agency.