Milner Police Force Resigns Amid Tracking-Device Allegation Against Mayor; What Happens October 28?
Milner's police chief and entire full-time force filed resignations after alleging a breakdown of trust with city leaders. A claim that Mayor Craig Timmons tracked the chief's truck remains unproven.
MILNER, Ga. — A small Lamar County town faces an extraordinary municipal leadership crisis after its entire full-time police force and city manager submitted resignations amid a breakdown of trust with local officials. At a tense October 19, 2026, City Council meeting, Police Chief Lamar Bunn accused Mayor Craig Timmons of placing a tracking device on Bunn's personal truck without authorization.
The allegation has not been established in court or confirmed as criminal wrongdoing. Timmons declined to answer directly when asked about the tracker, according to local reporting. He expressed regret about the resignations and interest in addressing the situation.
Milner's full-time police departures were scheduled to take effect on October 28; City Manager Tausha Grose announced an October 30 departure. Those are upcoming effective dates, and ANG has not verified that every resignation will ultimately take effect as planned.
What happened at the City Council meeting?
Grose told council members on October 19 that the police chief, all five full-time members of the department and most reserve officers had resigned. She also announced her own resignation after six years serving Milner.
Bunn said the trust needed to operate the department had eroded. Grose similarly described an inability to perform her job effectively under the circumstances. Both disputed suggestions that the departure decisions were simply about a policy disagreement over police officers' off-duty work.
The local Herald Gazette reported Bunn's accusation concerning a tracker and a camera directed at City Hall. This is a dispute involving public claims and competing perspectives, not a settled finding about who installed any particular device.
The mayor and the tracking-device allegation
At the meeting, Bunn accused Mayor Timmons of arranging for a tracker on his truck without the knowledge or approval of the city manager or council. WSB-TV later reported that a resignation letter referred to an allegation that the mayor bought a tracker with personal funds and placed it on the chief's truck.
Asked directly at the public meeting whether he was responsible, Timmons said he had no comment, according to reporting from WSB-TV and The Herald Gazette. A refusal to answer is not proof that an allegation is true. ANG has not obtained purchase records, installation records or an independent investigative finding showing who placed a device or whether a law was broken.
What else contributed to the conflict?
Local reports describe disputes about overtime, officers' outside employment and the use of city vehicles for off-duty assignments. The full dispute appears to have included both organizational and personal concerns.
Bunn and Grose said the decision to leave was about trust and governance more broadly, not solely part-time work rules. Police Capt. Craig Walton, in correspondence obtained by WSB-TV, raised objections to decision-making by the mayor and some council members.
Bunn also rejected rumors about an alleged affair with Grose. Those personal claims are not established facts, and they should not overshadow the immediate public-service questions raised by the resignations.
Will Milner be left without law enforcement?
Milner has fewer than 1,000 residents, so losing a five-member full-time department could significantly change routine police coverage and municipal administration. Reporting by Atlanta News First indicates the Lamar County Sheriff's Office was expected to provide coverage following the departures.
However, the precise scope, staffing, response arrangements and financing of any longer-term agreement should be confirmed with the city and sheriff's office. Residents should not assume the same personnel or response procedures will remain unchanged after October 28. For emergencies, call 911.
Could resignations be withdrawn?
Bunn indicated he still cares deeply about the city and was willing to consider steps that might restore trust. Reporting from CBS News Atlanta and The Herald Gazette described some room for discussion and possible reconciliation, but no fully verified agreement resolving the matter had emerged in the sources reviewed as of October 27.
The difference between resignations submitted and departures completed is important. Milner's October 28 and October 30 dates should be followed for any changes announced by city officials.
Accountability questions the city now faces
Several questions warrant public answers: Who had authority to deploy tracking technology on a vehicle? Was a specific device installed, by whom and under which policy? Is there an independent inquiry? What should taxpayers expect concerning policing and management after the planned departures?
One local council member reportedly understood that the GBI might be looking into the allegations. ANG has not verified an active GBI investigation from an official agency notice and will not report it as established.
Clear public records, lawful employment policies and a transparent transition plan would help residents evaluate what happened without turning allegations into automatic verdicts.
The Georgia inside the story
Milner's dispute is not just a viral argument about a tracking device. It is an example of how conflict inside a small city government can quickly affect basic services and public trust. The next test is whether residents receive reliable policing, continuity of administration and credible answers about the disputed allegations.