A former Forest Park City Council member has pleaded not guilty to theft by deception and other charges in Clayton County Superior Court.
Karen-Brandee Williams appeared before a judge Wednesday to enter the plea during an arraignment in a case involving the $230 purchase of T-shirts.
Williams said the 2011 purchase was for a community outreach program, but her critics on the City Council said the T-shirts were for campaign purposes.
After a grand jury indicted Williams in March, she turned herself in to Clayton County authorities and later posted bond. She also is charged with giving a false statement and violation of oath of public office.
At the time of the indictment, Williams told Channel 2 Action News that she had been the target of one "conspiracy after another, retaliation [and] bullying."
Williams was voted off the council last year over ethics charges, which she appealed in a civil lawsuit.
If Williams is convicted on all three criminal charges, she faces up to three years in jail. Her trial before Judge William O. Simmons has been set for the week of June 11.
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