The DeKalb County Recorders Court will get new leadership if DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis gets his way, according to a new grand jury report.
Ellis told the recent grand jury that he has nominated a new chief judge of the court to replace R. Joy Walker though the nominee was not identified in the report. He also told the jurors he would nominate a new chief court clerk soon to replace Joyce Head, according to the presentment filed in DeKalb Superior Court Monday by the jurors who served in September and October.
Each grand jury concludes its two-month term with a presentment, or summary of its findings. In addition to vetting criminal indictments, the jurors can review government operations. This most recent jury met with Ellis and his public safety director, William "Wiz" Miller, to hear the CEO's plans for the Recorders Court, which handles traffic tickets and violations of county code.
A spokesperson for Ellis did not return phone calls seeking the identities of Ellis' nominees.
The Recorders Court has been under fire since last year, when a consultant concluded that millions of dollars in fines were going uncollected. Ellis subsequently hired that consultant – e2 Assure -- to track down some of the money. Meanwhile, the district attorney has been prosecuting low-level employees and others in a ticket-fixing conspiracy, securing several guilty pleas.
The July-August grand jury reviewed court operations and documented a variety of flaws, including unenforced warrants, an outdated record-keeping system and unaccounted for funds. That grand jury recommended that a succeeding jury conduct a follow-up investigation by April. The September-October grand jury concurred, and called on the interim grand juries to review the July-August presentment and to meet with Ellis for updates.
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