When Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) admitted that he suffers from depression and recently tried to commit suicide, the news sent shudders through the ranks of Georgia’s political leaders.
However, in Richardson’s hometown of Hiram, the announcement barely caused a stir.
Two of his neighbors, who live near Richardson across Hightower Road, said Saturday afternoon that they had not heard about the suicide attempt and were worried about Richardson’s well-being.
“You don’t expect that for anybody,” said Crystal Snyder, sitting in her garage with her mother while waiting for customers to come to her yard sale. “I’m glad he was unsuccessful because he’s a wonderful man.”
Snyder’s mother and next-door neighbor, Pat Britton, said: “He’s always been a good neighbor. ... I voted for him and I hope he stays [as speaker]. I think most of Paulding County feels that way.”
Nathan Osborne, who works at the Gro Mart landscaping store a few hundred yards from Richardson’s law office, said he’d heard of Richardson but not of the suicide attempt.
“I don’t watch the news,” said Osborne, 20.
Richardson, in a statement to the media, said Friday that he has been suffering from depression for the past 2 1/2 years since the separation from his wife and subsequent divorce.
"While depression often seems to be resolved on occasion, when personal trials or tribulations arise, it flares back up," Richardson said in the statement. "That is what occurred with me. My depression became so severe that I took substantial steps to do harm to myself and to take my own life. I am thankful that because of medical intervention I have instead been able to now receive help and support."
Richardson said he regularly sees a physician and takes prescription medications for his condition.
No details regarding the suicide attempt were provided, and Richardson's spokesman declined to make further comment. WSB-TV reported that Paulding County sheriff's officials said they were called to his home Sunday evening and Richardson was rushed to a hospital. Cpl. Brandon Gurley, the public information officer for the Paulding County Sheriff's Department, would not comment when asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday evening and Saturday morning.
The AJC on Friday made a request to the Sheriff's Department for an incident report and a transcript or recording of any 911 call, if there was one, under the Freedom of Information Act. Gurley said the Sheriff's Department would not comment before Monday.
Attempts to reach Richardson on Saturday were unsuccessful. He has all but stopped speaking to the media in the past year. His spokesman, Marshall Guest, declined to make further comment Saturday, other than to refer a reporter to the speaker's statement released Friday. No details were available as to Richardson's location or activities Saturday.
At Richardson’s home, no one answered multiple calls to the house from the security pad outside its black iron gate on the driveway.
Meanwhile, reaction from Georgia’s political leaders continued to trickle in. Republican gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine, the state's insurance commissioner, said Saturday that "our thoughts and prayers are with Speaker Richardson. God has preserved Glenn’s life, so that tells me that He has a plan for his time here on earth. Let’s all respect his privacy and give encouragement and grace in this time of recovery."
-- Staff writer Aaron Gould Sheinin contributed to this article.
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