Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Ex-DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson under investigation for receiving nearly $4K

The DeKalb County district attorney has opened a criminal investigation involving a former county commissioner.
By Mark Niesse
March 9, 2017

Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into former DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson, who never repaid $3,886 he withdrew for government trips that took place after he left office.

Channel 2 Action News reports that DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston's office recently issued a subpoena to the county government for records and checks related to Watson's travel advances.

PHOTOS: A look at Stan Watson's career

Watson withdraw the money for government conferences in Chicago and Savannah that took place in April 2016.

But Watson had resigned in March 2016 to mount an unsuccessful campaign for county tax commissioner.

Watson couldn’t be reached by Channel 2 for comment. Boston declined to comment.

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

Juana Alzaga (standing) instructs members of the Buford Highway Orchestra Project at the Latin American Association in Brookhaven on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The orchestra, which is comprised mostly of children of parents who lack legal status, will be featured in the documentary “La Orquesta” coming this month to PBS. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Amid immigration crackdown, a Buford Highway youth orchestra brings refuge

A retired music teacher has created a youth orchestra for kids living in one of Atlanta’s biggest immigrant corridors, and her efforts will be featured on PBS this month.

56m ago

McDonough elects first mayor from historic Blacksville neighborhood

Kam Varner has roots in Blacksville, a neighborhood established by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.

56m ago

Man arrested in fatal stabbing at Vivide nightclub

Separate stabbings that left two men dead sent Atlanta police flying across the city in the early morning hours Wednesday.

The Latest

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Amid immigration crackdown, a Buford Highway youth orchestra brings refuge

56m ago

McDonough elects first mayor from historic Blacksville neighborhood

56m ago

Featured

Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

Metro Atlanta retailers hopeful for strong holiday season after chaotic year

Some independent retailers in metro Atlanta are entering this holiday season feeling battered by what they call a chaotic year.

$21B data center proposal aims to become one of Georgia’s largest

Trammell Crow Co. is planning a $21 billion technology campus for a 1,632-acre site along I-75 roughly 60 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

This metro Atlanta couple spearheaded a change in football helmets

Erin and Lee Hanson are the founders behind Guardian Sports, the company that makes the Guardian Caps worn by college football and NFL players.