Bail ordered for 2 convicts in DeKalb corruption case
A formerly married couple, convicted of manipulating DeKalb County school system construction contracts for personal gain, should be released on bail, according to a ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
The Friday ruling said Pat Reid, the school system's former construction chief, and her architect ex-husband, Tony Pope, are entitled to "reasonable bail" while an appeal is pending.
A jury found Reid and Pope guilty of racketeering in November 2013, and Superior Court Judge Cynthia Becker sentenced them to 15 years and eight years, respectively. They’ve served nearly a year of their sentences, and bail would be granted only after a court hearing.
Becker had granted them new trials in October after she said believed that former DeKalb Superintendent Crawford Lewis testified untruthfully against them.
The Georgia Court of Appeals then put Becker's decision on hold because she didn't have jurisdiction.
The bail hearing for Reid and Pope will have to be heard by a different judge because Becker recused herself, according to the Georgia Court of Appeals.
The case has been reassigned to DeKalb Superior Court Chief Judge Gregory Adams, and he has scheduled a Dec. 1 bond hearing.
Becker's handling of the case is under investigation by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission, and she plans to resign March 1 because she's engaged to be married.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
