Former Clayton Sheriff Victor Hill remains in jail

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill remained in jail Thursday, a day after he was indicted on racketeering, theft by taking and other charges.

Hill is being held in the Gwinnett County jail on $50,000 bond, and his attorney, Musa Ghanayem, told Channel 2 Action News early Thursday that no bondsman in Clayton County will write the bond because they are afraid that if they do so, they will lose their certification to write bonds in the county.

“I’ve been in the process of trying to acquire a bond and in doing so, I’ve come across certain circumstances where bondsmen have told me, specifically, that they will not set a bond for Sheriff Hill,” Ghanayem said. Hill's bond must be posted in Clayton County even though he is being held in Gwinnett for security reasons.

The 37-count indictment against Hill says he used county cars for getaways and county credit cards for shopping sprees, and tapped county employees for his own campaign and charity events.

He also took money for himself from his re-election campaign account, according to the charges in the 51-page indictment that came Wednesday based on a grand jury investigation.

The indictment charges Hill with four counts of racketeering, 29 counts of theft by taking, two counts of making a false statement and one count each of violation of oath of a public officer and influencing a witness.

Hill, once a homicide detective and a legislator, was elected in 2004 on a promise of reforming the Sheriff's Office. On his first day in office in 2005, he fired 27 employees who were escorted out of the building under the watchful eyes of snipers posted on the roof. The fired workers were rehired, and the county had to pay $7 million in damages.

Hill said he still plans to run for sheriff this year. His lawyer said the criminal case against Hill is a product of politics and vendettas, which current Sheriff Kem Kimbrough denies.

“It’s not political,” Kimbrough said. “It’s all about accountability and the integrity of the office we hold.”

The rest of Hill's tenure was just as controversial, and when he lost in 2008 to Kimbrough, Hill simply stopped coming to work.

According to the indictment, Hill frequently drove a county SUV or Dodge Charger on personal trips to Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi. He used a county gas card to fuel those drives.

He also used county funds to pay for a getaway in the North Georgia mountains, the indictment said. Hill allegedly used county credit cards on shopping sprees while on those trips.

Also indicted was Beatrice Powell, who worked at the jail that Hill controlled. She was charged with perjury and theft by taking. She was reported as on paid administrative leave or sick leave so she would still get her salary even while she was on trips with the sheriff, according to the indictment.

In total, Hill used about $108,000 in county funds for himself or his campaign, and he also took for himself about $80,000 from his re-election account, the indictment said.

It was common for Hill to use Sheriff’s Office employees to work on his campaign golf tournament and Sheriff Victor Hill’s Biker’s Festival 2007 during work hours, the indictment said.

The investigation started when a citizen looked at Hill's campaign disclosures and posted questions online and complained to the district attorney and the sheriff and filed an ethics complaint.

While Hill was being booked into jail, his attorney, Ghanayem, told reporters Wednesday that the former sheriff was in good spirits and optimistic about his fate.

Hill was confident when he came to the courthouse Wednesday morning. Because he was accused of committing crimes while in office, Georgia law allowed him to monitor the meeting, which is normally held in secret, and to make a statement to grand jurors after special prosecutor Layla Zon, district attorney for Walton and Newton counties, finished presenting her case.

Hill has repeatedly said politics was behind the criminal case and that it only started after he announced he would be running for sheriff this year. He and his lawyer noted that the lead investigator was someone Hill had fired.

Ghanayem complained that Kimbrough, the current sheriff, had said in several media interviews that Hill was guilty even though he had not yet been charged.

“He’s an innocent man until he’s proven guilty,” Ghanayem said.

His next court appearance has not been set, but Hill’s lawyer said he would file papers asking that the bond be reduced and that the trial be moved to another county.

“The air of impropriety is choking ... with political rivalries,” Ghanayem said.

The deputies' lawsuit wasn't the only one during Hill's time as sheriff. Hill also arrested the brother of his predecessor on charges of making harassing phone calls. A federal jury awarded Mark Tuggle $475,000 for being falsely arrested.

Right before his term ended, Hill filed for bankruptcy.

Since the 2008 race, Hill also ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2010.

Staff writers Mike Morris and Bill Torpy contributed to this article.