The felony charge against a former lieutenant with the Guyton Police Department has been dead docketed in Effingham County Superior Court.
Background
Joseph Michael Coppola was arrested in November 2024 by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office on one count of False Statements or Writings in Matters of Government. Initial court documents listed an offense date of approximately two months prior: September 3, 2024.
Initially, Coppola was placed on administrative leave in accordance with city policy. While on leave, officers are required to make themselves available for interviews and other internal matters. Coppola did not adhere to this policy while on leave and was subsequently terminated.
In March 2025, a grand jury indicted Coppola on one count of Perjury, an offense that varies slightly from False Statements. Namely, Perjury is committed under oath and subsequently carries a maximum sentence that is twice as long as False Statements.
According to the indictment, Coppola ‘knowingly and willingly’ made a false statement material to an issue in question in Effingham County Magistrate Court. The indictment asserts that Coppola swore under oath that a debt belonged to his deceased father. The statement was purportedly made in an Answer to a Complaint filed in Magistrate Court.
Court Proceedings
Coppola was arraigned in April 2025 and had scheduled court dates in June, August, October and November 2025. At the November 2025 court date, then-ADA Matt Breedon reported that the state was working on a plea offer for Coppola’s consideration.
Coppola had court dates again in January, February, March, April, and twice in May 2026. At the April 2026 court hearing, Coppola’s attorney, Joseph Turner, announced that the defense needed time to discuss ‘newly discovered evidence’ and at the May 19 court date, the defense announced it was still waiting on additional records. The case was continued to the June 4 court date.
On June 4, Coppola was scheduled to enter a plea or proceed to jury selection at the end of the month. The case was continued to the June 8 calendar call. But on June 8, Assistant District Attorney Ben Edwards placed the case on the dead docket calendar.
A dead docket is a classification used to postpone a criminal case indefinitely without formally dismissing it. Technically the case is open, but a judge or prosecutor can reinstate it to the active trial calendar at any time.
Court records indicate that Coppola’s case will be on the dead docket for 12 months and if no other issues arise, the state will dismiss the case.
Dead Docket Appears Contradictory to Previous District Attorney Action
The dead docketing of the case appears inconsistent with correspondence between the District Attorney’s Office and the Guyton Police Department just days before the unexpected death of Ogeechee District Attorney Robert Busbee on May 22.
According to records obtained under the Georgia Open Records Act, Busbee notified Chief Kelphie Lundy on May 21 that Coppola would be placed on the Brady List for the District Attorney’s Office via a letter also sent to Coppola on May 20.
A Brady list is a database maintained by prosecutors that tracks law enforcement officers who have a history of misconduct. These records typically involve confirmed incidents of untruthfulness, criminal convictions, racial bias, or other integrity issues that could undermine an officer’s credibility as a witness in court. In many instances, placement on the Brady List is considered ‘career ending.’
On May 20, Busbee sent the following email to ADA Renorda Herring, Chief ADA Jillian Gibson, ADA Ben Edwards, Investigator Andrae Wright, and Legal Assistant Vickie Wallace:
Good Afternoon All,
Ben is currently prosecuting former Guyton PD Lt. Coppola for perjury (24EFF00796). I understand Mr.
Coppola is no longer in law enforcement, and I only show him as a witness on one case: Renorda’s Agg
Child Molestation case, 22EFF00599.
Vickie – I need the attached notice sent via certified or registered mail to Mr. Coppola’s last known address and to Chief Lundy at Guyton PD. It also has to be sent to POST, though the statute does not say it has to be certified for them. I will handle emailing his criminal attorney.
Coppola also needs to be added to the statewide Giglio list on tracker, and he needs to be flagged as such
on Tracker.
Ben and Renorda – I don’t know what involvment Coppola had in the Agg CM case, but Mickey will need a
copy of the file in Ben’s case and a copy of the attached Giglio letter.
-DRB
According to records obtained under the Open Records Act, Coppola was placed on the Giglio list and statewide tracker immediately after the letter was sent.
POST Investigation
As of June 8, Coppola remains under investigation with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council – the entity responsible for issuing, suspending, and revoking law enforcement certifications. His POST record lists all of his certifications as ‘SUSPENDED’ with a requirement for the POST Council to review any requests for employment.
Coppola has been working in private security since he was terminated from the police department in Guyton.
A History of Issues
Coppola was hired in 2017 by former Chief Stacy Strickland following an 11-month stint with the Rincon Police Department. In Rincon, he resigned after being told that the disciplinary actions taken against him were set to be taken before the city council.
In March of 2019, after the abrupt departure of nearly everyone employed at Guyton PD, Coppola served as interim police chief. He was then demoted for a host of indiscretions, which included insubordination, inexplicable missing documents, and an inability to recruit additional officers, among other things. Coppola appealed his demotion and took legal action against the city, leading to his eventual reinstatement.
In January 2020, a lengthy expose on Coppola’s background was published by TheGeorgiaVirtue. Much of his Guyton PD personnel file prior to 2020 is missing from official city records, but previously published TGV articles revealed Coppola filed complaints against administrators who sought to discipline him. Under the leadership of Chief James Breletic, Coppola largely flew under the radar due to the ongoing tumultuous headlines involving nearly every other Guyton PD officer from March 2020 to January 2024. Coppola again held the position of interim chief in 2024 between the departure of Breletic, who had promoted him to lieutenant, and the hiring of current Chief Kelphie Lundy.
