Griffin Police Officer Arrested for Child Abuse, DUI

Griffin Police Officer Travis Weldon was arrested on December 24, 2025, following allegations of child abuse and driving under the influence while on duty. The one-year veteran officer was taken into custody after his own department coordinated with another agency to conduct the traffic stop of his patrol vehicle.

According to arrest warrant affidavits, Weldon's wife discovered bruising on her non-verbal daughter's face and hips on December 23 and took the child to Upson Regional Medical Center for medical evaluation. During the investigation, Weldon reportedly told investigators that he experiences blackouts when consuming rum and could not rule out harming the child.

The incident occurred after Weldon had consumed alcohol to the point of blackout on December 23. The following morning, he allegedly continued drinking, consuming what remained of a rum and coke before putting on his uniform and driving his marked patrol car to Griffin Police Department headquarters.

Weldon had been hired under Georgia's POST mandate program, which placed him under a two-year service contract with the department. During his hiring process, he had disclosed two prior impaired driving incidents and acknowledged that alcohol had affected both his personal life and employment. His POST certification was already on probation due to a previous DUI arrest when Griffin PD hired him.

The arrest highlights concerns about the department's hiring practices, given Weldon's documented history of alcohol-related incidents and his admission that others had previously identified his drinking as problematic. Griffin Police Department coordinated with another law enforcement agency to conduct the arrest rather than handling the situation internally.

Weldon faces charges related to child abuse and driving under the influence while operating a police vehicle.