AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office plans a news conference at the end of a week marked by high-profile arrests and firings inside the agency. Sheriff Eugene Brantley is set to speak at 10 a.m. Friday at the agency’s headquarters. The agency didn’t say what the sheriff plans to address, and officials haven’t confirmed whether it’s related to this week’s scandals. On Monday, longtime Maj. Robert “Robbie” Silas was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, accused of pandering, sodomy and violating his oath of office. The Wilkes County sheriff is apologizing to the public and news media after jail staff covered the face of a Richmond County sheriff’s major with a blanket as he was being taken out of the jail after his arrest. Silas was fired and later granted a $5,000 bond with strict conditions, including no contact with the alleged victim and a ban on weapons. Investigators say Brantley’s agency requested the GBI’s involvement after a tip to the FBI led to allegations that Silas solicited sodomy and prostitution. In court, prosecutors said Silas was caught on camera performing sex acts in uniform. District Attorney Jared Williams said the acts date back to at least five years. Silas joined the agency in 1989 and oversaw the Special Operations Division. He also previously ran for sheriff in a race won by Richard Roundtree. His arrest came just hours after the arrests and firings of two other deputies over the alleged misuse of a license…
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