A special grand jury appears to be investigating the spending and travel expenses of Clayton County’s commissioners, other government officials and a few aides, according to documents filed in court.
Earlier this month investigators swarmed the finance department and gathered computers and other records concerning direct payments to board members and to some outside entities in connection with travel to places such as Waikiki, Reno, Washington, New York City and Nashville.
District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson declined to discuss what or who the grand jury is targeting because it’s an on-going investigation.
This is the same special grand jury that investigated other Clayton County officials who were later indicted.
The five county commissioners who were named in the documents did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday. Instead, county attorney Jack Hancock called on their behalf and said, “I don’t think they are interested in doing any interview at this time.”
In a statement emailed later Monday he added: "It should be noted that simply because an individual's name appears in the search warrant does not indicate that they have done anything wrong. It is now and has been the position of the county that we have nothing to hide and we will continue to assist in any way possible."
The 49-page court document listing items seized hint at the grand jury's focus but details are spare. Specifics are most likely in the affidavit used to secure the search warrant but that document was sealed.
The records sought were filed by the commissioners, finance director Angela Jackson, county manager Wade Starr, retired fire Chief Alex Cohilas and five commission aides.
Investigators on April 10 took records of direct payments to Callaway Gardens Resort for a commission retreat and to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the Mulberry Inn in Savannah, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nev., and the Grand Hyatt in Washington.
According to the records that were filed in court last week, investigators seized computers and hard drives and manual check registers, ledgers and bank statements that show checks issued between Jan. 1, 2005 and April 1. They took documents that recorded reimbursement requests and, for example, the expense reports for commission Chairman Eldrin Bell for Oct. 8, 2008 through Oct. 8, 2010, and for Commissioners Wole Ralph for four days in September 2010 along with expense reports for commission member Sonna Singleton.
The public records don’t detail what was contained in some of the files taken beyond a name, an organization or a destination. Some notations included dates but many did not.
While this special grand jury cannot bring indictments, it’s investigations and its findings can be the basis for indictments returned by a regular grand jury.
So far this special grand jury's investigations have resulted in at least one guilty plea, a resignation in lieu of prosecution and four indictments, including former Sheriff Victor Hill.
In February a former Clayton County Water Authority department manager pleaded guilty to lying to a grand jury and making false statements and then sentenced to five years probation. Linton Herbert Etheridge admitted he hid the fact that his son worked for the company awarded the contract to landscape water authority property.
Former Lovejoy Mayor Joe Murphy resigned in October and promised to never again run for elected office after he and five others, including three relatives, were accused of casting illegal votes in the 2007 city elections.
John Lampl, former Morrow city manager and one-time city council member, was indicted last June on eight felony charges that included making a false statement and conspiracy in restraint of free and open competition in regards to a failed Olde Towne Morrow project, an abandoned development. His case is pending.
Hill was indicted in January on 37 counts that include racketeering and theft by taking for allegedly enriching himself with campaign funds and for using county cars for getaways and county credit cards for shopping sprees, and tapping county employees for his own campaign and charity events. Two other sheriff's aides also have been indicted -- former Sheriff's Office spokesman Jonathan Yusef Newton on charges of theft by taking, forgery and making a false statement and Beatrice Powell on charges of perjury and theft by taking.
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