Former Paulding County, Georgia, sheriff’s deputy Michael McMaster has not, based on available public records, returned to law enforcement since he was fired in February 2023 over a body-slam arrest caught on dashcam. The federal civil rights lawsuit brought against him by Tyler Canaris was terminated in December 2025, though the docket does not disclose whether it ended by ruling, settlement, or dismissal.1CourtListener. Canaris v. McMaster, No. 4:23-cv-00215
Where He Stands Now
No public reporting or records indicate McMaster has been hired by another law enforcement agency since his termination from the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s review of the use-of-force incident was announced as active in early 2023, but no public findings or criminal charges against him have surfaced in available records.
Why He Was Fired
McMaster, who had been with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office since 2015, was placed on desk duty on February 17, 2023, the same day Sheriff Gary Gulledge asked the GBI to review the arrest.2Atlanta News First. Attorneys Say Paulding County Deputy Should Be Fired, Charged After Body Slam Ten days later, on February 27, 2023, he was terminated. The sheriff’s office said the firing was for “other policy violations” and was not directly tied to the body-slam incident.3FOX 5 Atlanta. Paulding Deputy Video Body Slamming Man Arrest Fired The specific violations have not been detailed publicly.
Canaris’s attorneys said the department had reviewed the video shortly after the March 2022 arrest and initially found the force appropriate, taking action only after the footage became public nearly a year later.3FOX 5 Atlanta. Paulding Deputy Video Body Slamming Man Arrest Fired
The Arrest That Drew Attention
Around 6:00 a.m. on March 4, 2022, McMaster responded to a report of a suspicious person trying to break into vehicles in the Evans Mill subdivision. He stopped 30-year-old Tyler Lee Canaris, who was walking along the road, and told him he matched the description.4Paulding County Government. Paulding Sheriff Use of Force Incident Response
The sheriff’s office said Canaris repeatedly refused to comply with commands. Dashcam footage showed him pleading his innocence and asking what he had done wrong, and he did not appear to physically resist before McMaster lifted him and slammed him onto the road.5Reason. Walk This Way
According to the lawsuit later filed on his behalf, Canaris sustained a fractured skull, a fractured left clavicle, a fractured right thumb, a ruptured left eardrum, and a traumatic brain injury, among other injuries. His medical bills totaled $73,000.6Atlanta News First. Paulding County Sheriff, Former Deputy Named in Lawsuit Over Body Slam Incident He was charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer.7GPB News. Paulding County Deputy Faces Legal Action Alleging Excessive Force
How the Federal Lawsuit Ended
On September 22, 2023, Canaris filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Canaris v. McMaster (No. 4:23-cv-00215) named McMaster and Sheriff Gulledge as defendants and brought claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.8CourtListener. Canaris v. McMaster, Parties The complaint alleged arrest without probable cause, false statements to justify the arrest, failure to follow the department’s de-escalation procedures, and constitutional violations. Canaris sought punitive damages along with compensation for medical expenses.6Atlanta News First. Paulding County Sheriff, Former Deputy Named in Lawsuit Over Body Slam Incident
Both defendants filed motions for summary judgment on July 14, 2025. The case was terminated on December 15, 2025, with the last docket entry dated February 2, 2026. The docket does not state whether the case ended through a ruling on the merits, a settlement, or a voluntary dismissal.1CourtListener. Canaris v. McMaster, No. 4:23-cv-00215
What Is Still Unknown
Several threads of the story remain unresolved in publicly available records: the specific policy violations the sheriff’s office cited for McMaster’s firing, the GBI’s findings on the use of force, whether the obstruction charge against Canaris was prosecuted or dropped, and the terms on which the federal lawsuit closed.