The director of Clayton County’s senior services program has been jailed on forgery and bribery charges.
Mary Byrd turned herself in to authorities Friday after police executed search warrants on the senior services center and her Fayette County home. Byrd, 56, faces 13 counts of forgery and one count of bribery. Her first court appearance was scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday in Magistrate’s Court in Jonesboro.
The investigation stems from a police report filed by Clayton officials. An internal audit of the senior services department “found an account we weren’t aware of which automatically sent up a red flag,” Commission Chair Jeff Turner said. “The auditor dug a little deeper into the account, at which point she discovered some discrepancies with the account itself.”
Byrd has been on unpaid administrative leave since last week, when the audit revealed the discrepancies. Turner said he was shocked and disappointed by the revelation.
Byrd has overseen the county’s senior services division for five years. The department is the fifth-largest in the county, with six facilities and 125 employees. Byrd was given the Beverly Littlefield Award last year for her work in program development and operations.
About the Author
