Off-duty Georgia sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in connection with deadly shooting in domestic dispute
Madison County off-duty sheriff’s deputy was arrested in Athens on Monday morning in connection with a deadly shooting
Sheriff’s Deputy Winford “Trey” Terrell Adams, 32, is facing a murder charge in the death of Benjamin Lloyd Cloer
Cloer, 26, of Athens was killed after he was shot multiple times as the result of a domestic dispute Sunday evening
Adams who was off duty and in plain clothes at the time of the incident, was taken into custody at the scene and, after investigation, charged with murder, police said
Adams, also of Athens, remained in custody at the Clarke County Jail on a second-degree murder charge
Sheriff’s Deputy Winford ‘Trey’ Terrell Adams who was off duty and in plain clothes when he shot and killed Benjamin Lloyd Cloer on Sunday has been in Athens, Ga., has been charged with murder
Madison County Deputy Winford “Trey” Terrell Adams, 32, is facing a murder charge in the death of Benjamin Lloyd Cloer. Cloer, 26, was killed as the result of a domestic dispute Sunday evening, according to Athens-Clarke County police.
The Athens man was found shot multiple times when officers responded about 6:45 p.m. in the 6000 block of Old Jefferson Road. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
“Adams was taken into custody at the scene and, after investigation, charged with murder,” police spokesman Geof Gilland said in a news release. “He was off duty and in plain clothes at the time of the incident.”
Police did not say how Adams and Cloer knew each other. An investigation is ongoing.
Adams has been employed by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office since August 2018, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training records. Clarke and Madison are neighboring counties.
Before coming to Madison, he was employed for a few days by the Royston Police Department and four years with the Statesboro Police Department before that.
Adams voluntarily resigned from both of those jobs, records show. Maj. Jeffrey Vaughn, the chief deputy of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, said Adams was given high recommendations from Statesboro when he was hired.
Vaughn described Adams as a “model employee” and said he was never disciplined in his job.
“Trey was assigned to the patrol division as a deputy sheriff and had never had a single complaint for any type of use of force,” Vaughn said in an emailed statement. “To be honest we are all blown away by this reaction to a ‘crime of passion.’”
Sheriff Michael Moore met with Adams at the shooting scene, and he was immediately suspended, Vaughn said. He was fired following his interview with the Athens-Clarke County investigators when they decided to pursue charges.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Dept has acknowledged his arrest on social media, saying it was a “sad day” for all law enforcement officers
The department asked for prayers for the “MCSO family and the family of the victim.”
Adams, also of Athens, remained in custody at the Clarke County Jail on a second-degree murder charge.
Adams is being held in the Clarke County Jail. His bond has not been determined.
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