Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information from and a link to the Effingham County Sheriff’s initial incident report, obtained via open record request.
Two Effingham County residents were booked into jail on charges of criminal trespassing over disparaging chalk messages written on the parking lot of a county building. The messages were aimed towards at least one elected official who has championed a recent deal to build a $20 billion data center in the county.
The case is the latest example of public anger over the flourishing of data centers, much of it aimed, especially in the case of Effingham County, at the secrecy shrouding the negotiations between the county and Open AI to build the center and fears among some over what the sprawling complex portends for the community’s future.
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Ivy Gibbins and Evan Karp both face charges of misdemeanor criminal trespass, according to the Springfield Police Department. Each was booked into the county jail for a few hours Thursday and left on bonds of $1,300 apiece, according to jail records.
Chalk messages, including one with profanity, were captured on a surveillance video at the government center in Springfield on Aug. 29, as county commissioners met inside, according to the initial incident report from the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office. According to that report, deputies came across the chalking after it was finished, and notified county staff, who had a prison inmate clean up the chalk.
One chalk message referred to County Commissioner Roger Burdette with the epithet, “pussy b***h.” Inside, residents angry over the surprise announcement of the OpenAI data center expressed their displeasure at the commissioners. The incident report says that Gibbins had been escorted out of the meeting for “failure to stop speaking.”
Burdette, a Republican, complained to the sheriff about the chalking, the Effingham Herald has reported, and Gibbins, who heads the Effingham County Democratic Committee was accused of writing the profane message.
Karp declined comment via text message to The Current GA. Gibbins has not responded to requests for comment.
Under Georgia law, criminal trespass is defined as intentionally damaging another person’s property ($500 or less), knowingly interfering with property use without consent, or entering/remaining on land, vehicles, or structures without authority.
Under Georgia law, the Springfield Municipal Court could have charged bond as little as zero dollars for first-offense trespass. State law requires that misdemeanor bail should not be “excessive” and should only impose conditions reasonably necessary to ensure public safety and to ensure the person comes back for their court date.
