Snellville Mayor Tom Witts turned himself in at the Gwinnett County jail Thursday afternoon, one week after a grand jury returned a 66-count indictment against him.
Witts, 68, was booked into the jail at around 12:30 p.m., online records showed. He was released about 25 minutes later on a $20,000 signature bond — meaning that he didn’t have to pay any money to be released but could be fined that amount if he fails to show for court appearances.
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As Witts walked out of the jail Thursday, he and his attorney both balked when asked for comment by a Channel 2 Action News reporter.
“I don’t really have anything to say,” the mayor said.
The indictment returned against Witts last week accuses him of numerous crimes, including tax evasion; lying on official documents about owing taxes when he ran for both city council and for mayor; improperly allowing his business to perform work for the city; and using campaign funds for personal expenses like cruises and airline tickets.
Sixty-five of the charges are felonies. The only misdemeanor charge accuses Witts of using 2015 campaign money to purchase a six-month membership on a pornography website.
Witts, a former city councilman, was elected as mayor in 2015.
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