A former Clayton County Water Authority lied under oath about his relationship with a landscaping company he brokered a county contract for, prosecutors allege.
Linton Herbert Etheridge Jr. was indicted Tuesday on accusations he withheld the fact that his son, Cody Etheridge, worked for Georgia Landscape Management when he recommended that company for a one-year contract with the county.
Etheridge, 54, was responsible for evaluating all of the companies bidding for lawn repair work with the water authority, and he rated GLM highest, the three-count indictment alleges.
The indictment claims Etheridge conspired to prevent free and open trade with a county government agency, allegedly plotting with GLM owners Betty Griffin and Bruce T. Gillespie, sealing the deal when he recommended the company at an Aug. 5, 2010 board meeting.
When confronted with the relationship and the appearance of further improprieties – that he stayed at Griffin’s Panama City Beach condo – during a specially convened grand jury last month, prosecutors contend that Etheridge didn’t tell the truth.
Etheridge was arrested late Tuesday afternoon and remains in the Clayton jail on $20,000 bond, on charges of perjury and false statements.
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