A DeKalb County judge has issued a temporary protective order barring the lawyer for an indicted school administrator from contacting members of the grand jury.
The district attorney’s office said it sought the order against attorney Manny Arora on Tuesday after grand jurors complained he was knocking on their doors.
“They are claiming they are being harassed,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Don Geary told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “None of them indicated they were fearful, but they are concerned about them [the lawyers] and the defendants knowing where they live. ... All we want him to do is stop.”
Arora represents Patricia Reid, a former DeKalb schools chief operating officer also known as Pat Pope.
A grand jury indicted Reid, along with former schools Superintendent Crawford Lewis, Reid’s former husband Tony Pope and her secretary Cointa Moody, last month on charges of racketeering and bribery.
Arora said his defense in the case includes tracking down evidence and talking to jurors.
“The law allows us to contact grand jurors,” Arora told the AJC. “We went to their homes and identified ourselves. In most cases, they welcomed us in. But I guess the prosecutor took offense to that.”
The order prevents Arora or his staff from talking to any grand jurors. A hearing is set for July 12.
Arora, who is in North Carolina as part of a federal trial, said he was not present Tuesday when Superior Court Judge Cynthia J. Becker signed the order, but he said he received several calls about it.
“The law says if you are going to challenge an indictment, you have do that before arraignment. That’s what we were doing,” said Arora of the Atlanta firm Arora & LaScala.
Geary, a prosecutor for 20 years, said he is not aware of any laws that allow attorneys to contact grand jurors.
“They take an oath to keep secret what’s done in grand jury,” Geary told the AJC. “What would be the purpose of contacting them unless you are trying to convince them to violate their oath?”
Reid remains free on bond. She currently works at the district, assigned to "special projects," but her employment ends June 30. The conditions of her bond prevent her from contacting jurors.
In addition to the criminal investigation into bid tampering, bribery and theft, the grand jury is now conducting a civil investigation into school board operations, Geary said.
The civil investigation cannot result in charges.
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