Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis returns to power

Dekalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was reinstated to his elected position Monday. KENT D. JOHNSON / KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM
Dekalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was reinstated to his elected position Monday. KENT D. JOHNSON / KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM
By Mark Niesse
Dec 12, 2016

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was reinstated Monday after the Georgia Supreme Court overturned his conviction.

Ellis had been suspended from office since July 2013, when he faced criminal charges for allegedly shaking down county businesses for campaign contributions.

A jury found Ellis guilty in July 2015 of attempted extortion and perjury, but the state's highest court threw out the verdict Nov. 30 because he didn't receive a fair trial. He was reinstated when the Georgia Supreme Court sent the case back to DeKalb courts.

Ellis will be the county’s chief executive for the last three weeks of his four-year term, which ends Dec. 31.

He replaces Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May. Newly elected CEO Mike Thurmond will take office in January.

Though his conviction was reversed, the charges remain pending. Incoming DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston will have to decide whether to seek a retrial.

Please read the full story on MyAJC.com.

Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach reports.

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.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

All lanes of I-75 South were closed after a crash in Clayton County on Tuesday. (Courtesy of Georgia Department of Transportation)

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

Crash clogged I-75 South for hours in Clayton County

The crash blocked I-75 South in Clayton County for hours on Tuesday morning.

35m ago

Second suspect in 2023 deaths of Atlanta veteran, teen arrested in Minnesota

Kmauri Burnett, 20, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Duluth, Minnesota, according to Atlanta police.

2h ago

Dickens asks top donors for $250K to help fund inauguration events

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is soliciting up to $250,000 from top donors to sponsor three days of events celebrating his second-term inauguration.

The Latest

All lanes of I-75 South were closed after a crash in Clayton County on Tuesday. (Courtesy of Georgia Department of Transportation)

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

Crash clogged I-75 South for hours in Clayton County

35m ago

Second suspect in 2023 deaths of Atlanta veteran, teen arrested in Minnesota

2h ago

Dickens asks top donors for $250K to help fund inauguration events

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Georgia districts forge their own way as troubled program faces a crossroads

School districts are dropping out of GNETS to serve students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

Ex-Truett McConnell VP indicted in case tied to sex abuse probe

A White County grand jury has indicted a former Truett McConnell University vice president, accusing him of lying to a county sheriff investigator.

Dickens asks top donors for $250K to help fund inauguration events

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is soliciting up to $250,000 from top donors to sponsor three days of events celebrating his second-term inauguration.