Federal court filings indicate that a sexual harassment lawsuit against Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams is moving forward. The order from a federal magistrate was signed the same day Williams used the official Facebook page for the Sheriff’s Office to post that the office had been cleared by a federal investigator.
The suit, filed by former Sheriff’s Office employee Brenda Johnson, was filed on December 19, 2024 in U.S. District Court. In the complaint, Johnson alleged discrimination and sexual harassment after filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC).
Basis of Federal Lawsuit & EEOC Complaint
Disclaimer: Content listed in the complaint is graphic.
Brenda Johnson’s EEOC complaint is the basis of her federal lawsuit filed in December, in which Johnson alleged she was subjected to both retaliation and termination after instances of sexual harassment in July 2021, August 2022, April 2023, and May 2023.
The complaint, filed with the EEOC on August 16, 2023, outlines eight line items that contributed to her claims of sexual harassment, including:
- Requests from Williams “asking on numerous occasions to “let him taste my vagina and suck on my toes,”
- Expressing a desire to ejaculate on her
- Asking numerous times to “give him some loving”
- Sending sexually offensive text messages, including “bring my p**** to Alabama”
- Sending sexually offensive pictures, including pictures “showing the print of his penis”
- Acts of intimidation, humiliation, and retaliation including but not limited to accusations of Johnson “having sex with others, making sexually derogatory statements about [Johnson],” tracking her movements, assigning her menial and random tasks after being visibly upset that she had not consented to his advances
- Making numerous requests for social calls, dinners, and interactions
- Other offensive and harassing conduct
In Johnson’s lengthy complaint, she wrote extensively about being moved from job to job when she did not give in to his sexual advances. From December 2020 to April 2023, Johnson worked as the H.R. Generalist for BCSO, Sex Offender Registry Compliance Officer, Grant Writer for BCSO, and as a Corrections Officer for the detention center. None of the job moves, she said, were at her request.
The complaint also reference instances of sexual harassment and pressure at out-of-town training sessions.
“In April 2022, I took a Sex Offender Registry class in Dublin, GA. Sheriff Williams later signed up for the same class. He was the only sheriff present in the entire class, which looked very strange to everyone in the class. When we arrived at our hotel in Dublin, I went to my room, and he went to his room. When I entered my room, I noticed that I had an accessible room which had an awful stench; however, it was not bad enough to leave the hotel. Sheriff Williams called and said that he did not like his room because he also had an accessible room that smelled awful. He went to the front desk, and the front desk clerk stated that all other rooms were at max capacity for the week. All other hotels in Dublin were at max capacity as well. I stated that it was not a big deal and that my room was okay. The sheriff insisted that we leave and head to Macon because he could get us rooms there. He stated that Macon was only about 15 minutes away. We arrived at the Hotel Forty-Five in Macon. Sheriff Williams advised me to stay in the vehicle while he went in. He later came and said that he had everything taken care of. When we got inside, I asked for my room key. He stated that the rooms were too expensive to get 2 rooms and that he only got one. I told him that he should have purchased 2 rooms. I was very uncomfortable the entire time. I slept in a chair the nights we were in Macon with my uniform on during the night. I later found out that Sheriff Williams took a picture of me while driving to Dublin for the class and sent it to Sgt. Anthony Bennerman via text message and said, “I’m about to go and f*** Brenda.”
According to the complaint, a similar incident occurred again in November 2022.
“On November 21, 2022, I arrived at work that morning, and was later approached by Sheriff Williams who stated that we had a grant writing class to attend in Statesboro. When we arrived in Statesboro, it was around 11:30A.M. The Sheriff stated that we could go to lunch and attend the afternoon training session. We went to Chili’s Restaurant in Statesboro. When we left Chili’s, Sheriff Williams advised that he was tired and was going to get a hotel room. I advised him to take me back to the job so that I can get back to work. He went to the hotel right next to Chili’s Restaurant and got a room anyway. I stayed in his vehicle for approximately 45 minutes. He kept calling telling me to come up to the room. I finally got out of the vehicle and went inside the hotel. I was very agitated and upset. He asked me could he have some loving and I advised him that he could not. He finally left the hotel and took me back to work. It was after 5PM because the next shift was on duty when we arrived in the parking lot.”
You can read the full 33-page lawsuit here.
Receipts
The lawsuit includes screenshots from Johnson’s phone.
Williams Omits Relevant Details from EEOC Letter, Judge Says Lawsuit Can Proceed
On January 14, 2025, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office official Facebook page published a letter from federal investigator Garcia Walker. The letter stated that “ it is not likely that further investigation would yield evidence sufficient to show that a violation occurred” and that the charge would be dismissed. The letter was accompanied by a press release in which Williams was quoted saying,
“Out of an abundance of caution, we felt it necessary to highlight the EEOC’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s allegations in September. Moreover, to date, we have not been formally served regarding any lawsuit from Ms. Johnson, federal or otherwise. Also, we do not comment on pending litigation.”
The dismissal by the EEOC does not mean there was no wrongdoing. Absent from the post by Williams were the details of the investigation. The document, provided to Johnson and signed by the District Director for the EEOC, reads in part:
“The EEOC will not proceed further with its investigation and makes no determination about whether further investigation would establish violations of the statute. This does not mean the claims have no merit. This determination does not certify that the respondent is in compliance with the statutes.” [emphasis added]
The letter from EEOC provided Johnson with a Notice of Right to Sue.
Additionally, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office page seems to have erroneously indicated that the window to sue had passed for Johnson, but on the very date that Monique Williams, the Public Information Officer for BCSO, published the press release, Judge Brian K. Epps, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Georgia, granted Johnson’s request to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP). Judge Epps further ordered the filing fee for the lawsuit ‘waived,’ and ordered the U.S. Marshal Service to mail a copy of the complaint to Williams to avoid unnecessary costs of serving the summons.
“[T]he Court finds Plaintiff has arguably stated viable sexual harassment, discriminatory discharge, and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against Defendant Sheriff Williams in his official capacity,” the Order reads.
According to court filings, Williams was served on January 27, 2025 and has 60 days from January 16, 2025 to file an answer in response to Johnson’s suit.
Not the First Complaint for Johnson
Critics of Johnson attempted to discredit Johnson’s complaint on social media, citing another complaint in the City of Waynesboro in 2010. Johnson owned the complaint, saying the complaint, made against then-Chief Investigator Gene Boseman, was dismissed by city staff. Boseman was later convicted of Child Molestation in 2018 and sentenced to prison.
