Canton Police Announce Promotion

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Canton Police Chief, Stephen Merrifield announced the promotion of Sergeant Jesse Ray to the position of Lieutenant in the Support Bureau.

Lieutenant Jesse Ray

Lieutenant Ray has served eight years with the Canton Police Department and brings more than 13 years of experience in law enforcement to his new position. Ray previously served as Sergeant to the Criminal Investigations Division, where he obtained his Georgia P.O.S.T Supervision and Management certificates and completed an FBI LEEDA training in Supervision and Command Leadership. Ray has obtained his Georgia P.O.S.T Intermediate and Advanced Supervision Certificates. Additionally, he has worked as a narcotics agent with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad. Ray is currently enrolled at Reinhardt University and is in the process of completing his Master's degree in Public Administration.

Chief Stephen Merrifield said, "I am excited to see Lieutenant Ray take this next step in his promising career and look forward to the contributions he will bring to our department."

Canton Police Arrest Florida Fraud Suspect

On Wednesday, May 20th, 2020, Canton Police were notified that a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputy was on the scene of a private property accident on the 100 block of Cessna Drive in Canton. The deputy had been waved down by an occupant involved in the accident that occurred in Canton Police's jurisdiction.  Canton Officers responded to the scene to investigate the accident. Prior to the officer's arrival, one of the individuals involved was identified as Sherrod Wright. During the conversation with the drivers, while the deputy was waiting for CPD officers, Sherrod Wright walked into the residence where he was staying to get his driver's license but did not return. A female relative walked out of the residence and brought an identification card to the Deputy Sheriff on the scene with the name Sherrod Wright. Upon conducting a warrant check, it was determined Mr. Wright had approximately ten warrants out of the State of Florida for various fraud-related offenses. Canton Officers attempted to make contact with Mr. Wright at the residence, but he refused to speak with them.

Due to the now known fact that Sherrod Wright had multiple warrants for his arrest out of the State of Florida in the Palm Beach area, Canton Detectives coordinated communication with Detectives in Palm Beach and confirmed the warrants were valid and established that the State of Florida wanted Sherrod Wright to be extradited to Florida on the charges.

Canton Police obtained a search warrant for the home of where Mr. Wright was still located. The Canton Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office collaborated to execute the search warrant at the residence.  Mr. Wright was subsequently found hiding in the attic and arrested without incident. Another resident, Janette St Julien was charged with Harboring a Fugitive and Obstruction of a Law Enforcement.

Sherrod Wright
Alpharetta, GA
Male, 35 yrs. old

Janette St Julien
Canton GA
Female, 70 yrs old

Canton Police Welcomes New Officer

Today Canton's Chief of Police, Stephen Merrifield, introduced its newest Police Officer, Kyle Womack, to the agency. He was sworn into the department, with the Oath of Office by Judge Thomas A. Roach Jr. at the Canton Public Safety and Municipal Court Complex, this morning in a private ceremony, due to current conditions. He comes with previous experience as a certified officer from Bartow County Sheriff's Office. We congratulate Officer Womack and welcome him to the CPD family.

Canton Officer Rescues Teens From River

Canton Officer Rescues Teens From River

Video Press Release

Incident Information:

Where: Etowah River Park (canoe ramp) 600 Brown Industrial Pkwy, Canton, GA 30114
When: Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at approximately 6:30 pm.

Canton Police Names Support Bureau Commander

Canton Police Chief, Stephen Merrifield announced the promotion of Lieutenant Matt Baldwin to the position of Police Captain, Support Bureau Commander.

 Captain Baldwin has twenty-three (23) years of law enforcement experience with his last four (4) years serving as the Assistant Support Bureau Commander. Captain Baldwin had also served in a variety of assignments, giving him a well-rounded level of knowledge as a patrol officer, Uniform Patrol Division shift supervisor, CMANS agent, detective, and Criminal Investigations Supervisor.

 In addition to his vast experience, Captain Baldwin possesses all the education, training, and P.O.S.T certifications pertinent to the position of Police Captain such as a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University, GA P.O.S.T. Intermediate Certification, GA P.O.S.T. Advanced Certification, GA P.O.S.T. Supervisory Certification, GA P.O.S.T. Managerial Certification, and F.B.I Leadership Trilogy Graduate.

 Chief Merrifield stated, "Captain Baldwin has lived in Cherokee County all of his life and served the citizens of Canton for twenty-three years as a member of the Canton Police Department. I congratulate him on this great career accomplishment and look forward to working with him to continue providing professional law enforcement services to our community."

City of Canton Announces Assistant City Manager, Staff Promotions

 The City of Canton announced recent staff promotions including the creation of a new assistant city manager position this week. Mr. Nathan Ingram will transition from the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Canton to the new Assistant City Manager position effective February 26. The new assistant city manager position will oversee the operational components of the City of Canton, including finance, human resources, technology, municipal court operations, and special projects. Ms. Melissa Forrester received a promotion from Accounting Services Manager to Finance Director.

The City of Canton operates an annual budget of $53 million. Additionally, in the Canton Police Department, Captain Wendell Turner received a promotion to Deputy Chief of Police following the promotion of Stephen Merrifield from that position to Chief of Police in January.

“We have a fantastic team at the City of Canton, and it is always an honor to promote from within when there are such highly skilled individuals in our organization,” stated City Manager Billy Peppers. “The Mayor and Council have been supportive of our organizational changes and we certainly look forward to continuing to serve our community in an

efficient and effective manner.”

Mr. Nathan Ingram

Assistant City Manager Nathan Ingram

Nathan Ingram has served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Canton for the past 8 years. He joined the team following a decade of service as an auditor for a private CPA firm, which included extensive auditing work of local government finances. Mr. Ingram graduated from North Georgia College and holds a license as a certified public accountant.

Finance Director Melissa Forrester

Ms. Melissa Forrester

Melissa Forrester joined the City of Canton over 11 years ago, serving in the positions of accountant, budget analyst and most recently as accounting services manager. She holds a degree in accounting from Kennesaw State University and a master’s in business administration from Reinhardt University. Ms. Forrester also holds a license as a certified public accountant.

Deputy Chief Wendell Turner

Deputy Chief Wendell Turner

Deputy Chief of Police Wendell Turner has over 27 years of law enforcement experience to include almost six years as the Director of Public Safety for the City of Statesboro, where he managed Police, Fire, and 911. Turner joined the Canton Police Department four years ago as a Captain over the Support Services Bureau. He has a Bachelor's degree from Georgia Southern University and a Master's in Public Safety Administration from Columbus State. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.

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Press inquiries to City of Canton Billy Peppers, City Manager billy.peppers@cantonga.gov 770-704-1500

Canton Police Announce Promotion

Chief Merrifield announced the promotion of Wendell Turner to the position of Deputy Chief.   Turner previously held the position of Captain over the Support Bureau and has been with the department for the past four years.

"I am extremely fortunate to have Deputy Chief Turner assist me in managing this great department," Chief Merrifield said. "I look forward to working with him to keep the Canton Police Department moving forward and providing professional and exemplary  police services to our citizens."

Turner, a twenty (27) year law enforcement veteran, began his career with the Statesboro Police Department in 1993 as a uniformed patrol officer.  He was quickly promoted through the ranks attaining positions in the Patrol Bureau as an Advanced Patrol Officer, Investigative Bureau as Detective, Professional Standards and Training Division Commander as Lieutenant, Support Services Division Commander as Lieutenant and later Captain, and Patrol Bureau Commander as Captain.


Wendell Turner also progressed in a tactical capacity as an Emergency Response Team (ERT) member, ERT Team Leader, and ERT Team Commander.  In 2010, he was appointed by the Statesboro City Manager to the newly created position of Director of Public Safety.  The position is the Department Head for the Police and Fire Departments and his overall responsibilities included the administration, operations, personnel management, fiscal preparations and responsibilities of each department.


Mr. Turner holds several Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) Certifications to include:  Basic LE Certification, Senior Training Instructor Certification, Managerial Certification, and Executive Certification.  He has been an adjunct instructor for Ogeechee Technical College and the Southeast Georgia Regional Police Academy. He has also taught upper-level Justice Studies classes at Georgia Southern University as a part-time faculty member.


Wendell Turner has over 3,400 hours of Advanced Law Enforcement training to his credit and also holds several current and past professional memberships and board appointments.


In addition, Wendell Turner has been recognized for several professional achievements throughout his career to include: Departmental Accommodations, Several Departmental Top Gun Awards, Supervisor of the Year, FBINA Fitness Excellence Award and a prestigious FBI Appreciation Certificate awarded by former FBI Director Mueller.


Furthermore, he considers himself extremely fortunate having graduated the 213th Session of the FBI National Academy Program in Quantico, VA, the 23rd Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Command College and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Professional Management Program. He obtained his BS Degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University (2004) and his MPA Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University (2006).