Eric D. Gaustad was promoted to Sergeant, Investigations by Sheriff Clyde R. Smith on Jan. 23. During Gaustad’s career with the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, he has been assigned to the agency’s Patrol and Criminal Investigation Division.

As an investigator, Gaustad is responsible for conducting criminal investigations throughout Bryan County and assisting other criminal justice and associate agencies. The Bryan County Sheriff’s Office provides overall security of the Courthouse, is responsible for the Bryan County Sex Offender registry, and enforces the criminal laws of Georgia. The Sheriff’s Office also operates the Bryan County Detention Center and the Bryan County Emergency 911 Center, which provides Criminal Justice Information System services and 24-hour, daily dispatch capacity to all Bryan County Public Safety and affiliate agencies.

Gaustad began his law enforcement career in 1994 as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a firearms instructor and Training and Operations Non-Commissioned Officer. Gaustad began his civilian law enforcement as a police officer with the Armstrong State University Police Department. In 2001 he was employed by the Richmond Hill Georgia Police Department, where he served as a patrol supervisor and field training officer. In October 2011, he was employed with Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, GA assigned to their corporate security office until he joined the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office in 2013.

Gaustad has participated in professional development programs in Savannah, Richmond Hill, and Forsyth, GA. He is a candidate for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council’s Criminal Investigator Certification.

Gaustad is a recipient of the 2015 Exchange Club of Richmond Hill Public Safety Officer of the Year award and received the Richmond Hill Police Department’s Meritorious Service Award in 2010.