574 words, 3-minute read

On January 24, 2026, the Turner County Project sat down with Kenneth Bryan, a retired Ashburn Police officer, Turner County Sheriff’s deputy, and former school resource officer, to share his perspective and memory on a case currently under research. As it often happens, conversations continued well past the original purpose, and Kenneth shared more about his experience in public safety and Ashburn in the 1970s, particularly the little white police station that was located on Main Street. Sometimes, his wife, Cheryle (a former People of Turner County interviewee), chimed in every now and then. Here is that small portion of his interview.

The Little Ashburn Police Department

Turner County Project (TCP): Were you in the police department when they had that little police department on Main Street [in Ashburn]?

Kenneth Bryan (K): Yep.

TCP: Tell me about that. How did that function with all y’all?

K: It used to be a white brick building that people used for newspapers – that stashed newspapers and that kind of thing. And anyway, how it became the police department, I don’t know. But I was working then with the police department, and there was no lock on the door.

TCP: How in the world – did y’all just sit in that little building when it was on Main Street? It’s so small. I can’t imagine there would be much room for just hanging out.

K: We didn’t do much in it. When shifts changed, everyone came to there to change the shift. 

TCP: To pass off information, I imagine.

K: Yes. What happened…Who did what? “Nothing’s happening.” “Ok Good.” “Somebody’s shooting at the water tower.” “Yea we heard that…I was there.” The sheriff’s office – they had one in the courthouse, and they had mainly most of the stuff was taking place at the old jail. I am probably one of the few folks who put folks in that jail. That is still alive, I guess. 

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Ashburn City Hall, 1970s

Cheryle Bryan (CB): The police department, when we moved from Ocilla, was where the woman does the dog stuff right now. [editor’s note: Corner of 127 E College Ave, Ashburn, GA]

TCP: The corner across from the courthouse?

CB: Yeah, your daddy’s [Mike Mastrario owned the Shingler Building from 2006-2019].

TCP: The grooming place. I had no clue the police department was there. How long was it there?

K: Well what it was, we finally moved up to the top of City Hall. That corner office in there was City Hall. 

K: And what we did, they gave us a place upstairs after the little white building. So I had my office as a drug officer upstairs.

TCP: Upstairs of the Shingler Building, the one that is the groomer and the hair salon and all that. I used to live in that apartment. They turned it into an apartment and I used to live right above the groomer. So I probably was in one of your office.

K: It was in the little white building. They moved us to up there [Second Floor of Shingler Building.]

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About The People of Turner County Project:

This is an oral history project that works to both preserve, document, and celebrate the people of Turner County and the history through the stories of those who have experienced it.

This project collects oral histories of people who have lived or worked in Turner County, Georgia.