On Thursday, May 25, 2023, agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged Cairo Fire Department Chief William “Bill” Thomas Schafer, 45, in Grady County, with felony theft by taking, and felony violation of oath of office.
On May 11, 2023, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was requested to initiate an investigation by District Attorney Joe Mulholland.
Schafer surrendered himself to the Grady County Jail after the GBI began an investigation into suspicious and questionable purchases from a financial account specific to the Cairo Fire Department. Additional charges of theft are expected in this investigation when the case is presented to a Grady County Grand Jury at a later date.
Schafer was booked into the Grady County Jail.