Fayetteville police officer arrested, third in past year

Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden announced Thursday the arrest of Sgt. Brian Gerber, marking the third Fayetteville police officer to face criminal charges in the past year. 

Gerber was arrested Thursday morning after being charged with 12 felony counts of obtaining property worth more than $20,000 on false pretense while employed as an off-duty police security guard at the Marketfair Mall on Skibo Road, Braden said at a press conference. 

Gerber joined the Fayetteville Police Department in 2017, Braden said, under the tenure of former Police Chief Gina Hawkins. Two other officers — arrested in October and November of last year — were also hired by Hawkins. (Hawkins, who faced criticism throughout her tenure, left the role in January 2023. Last August, she threatened to sue the city if it failed to settle over an alleged hostile and discriminatory work environment; the city ultimately agreed to a $200,000 settlement).

Braden said Gerber, who had been assigned to the department’s patrol division, is in the process of being formally dismissed. Braden said the department found “substantial evidence” for the warrants, but declined to give a specific time frame for Gerber’s illegal activities — other than to say the criminal acts took place “over a period of months.” While declining to discuss more specifics of the investigation, Braden said Gerber had “been cooperative throughout the process.”

Braden acknowledged Thursday the “two previous officers that were arrested for criminal activity during [his] tenure.” The police chief also highlighted his recent efforts to “stay vigilant to make sure that our supervisors stay on top of the actions and activities of our officers to correct behaviors before they become unethical or illegal.”