– Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023 –
Good morning! It’s Thursday and the final Undercurrent newsletter of 2023. The Current will be taking a break for the holidays, but do not fret! This newsletter will be back on Jan. 4, 2024. In the meantime, we are reporting on the Savannah mayor’s take on his mysterious challenger, a large settlement for an alleged victim of Camden County jailhouse violence and a court reversal from the lawyer for the Chatham County district attorney.
Questions, comments, story ideas? You can reach me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org. Let’s get started.
Why did Davis run for mayor?
In an interview with The Current last week, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson voiced a theory about his largely-unknown 2023 mayoral challenger, Tyrisha Davis, privately shared by many local politicos.
“I think somebody put her up to it,” Johnson said, of Davis’ head-scratching candidacy. The Current first revealed that Davis did not appear to live at the house she put as her residence on her campaign paperwork and was not registered to vote when City Clerk Mark Massey qualified her to run for mayor. The law requires a candidate be a resident of the city for a year and be a registered voter to run for mayor.
Davis did not respond to a phone call and text message requesting comment.
“I expected it anyway, that’s just human nature,” Johnson said, “Particularly in this case, where you had three black candidates, you put somebody in there to create enough a split vote … you might force a runoff.” He cited how Davis, a Black woman, was virtually unknown in the community and paid to qualify in cash. Johnson’s other challenger, Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter, has standing in the community and it made sense why she ran, while it did not make sense for Davis, he said.
Asked who might have put her up to run, Johnson said he didn’t know. He denied claims made by some in the community that his team had something to do with Davis running.
Johnson said he planned to talk to City Attorney Bates Lovett and Massey about possibly referring a complaint about Davis to the State Election Board, which would have the authority to send an investigation to the Secretary of State’s office and decide on whether or not criminal charges are warranted.
The Current will continue to watch and monitor what happens.
Payout in Camden jail lawsuit
A man who alleged in a federal lawsuit that he was severely beaten by Camden County Sheriff’s deputies while in jail in 2021 settled his case for $500,000, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
A federal judge dismissed the suit officially on Monday, after approval of a settlement in the case of Adam Drummond. It marks the latest financial consequence for Camden County, the southeastern county of 57,000, which has been forced to pay out excessive claims due to sheriff’s office deputy misconduct in the jail and on the roads.
The county’s insurer dropped its auto and law enforcement liability coverage over the summer due to the amount of claims stemming from the agency. The county was forced to get new insurance. Now, Camden County taxpayers are on the hook for $350,000 per new auto claim and for $250,0000 per new law enforcement malpractice, before insurance kicks in.
Appeal backtrack
Earlier this month, a Savannah lawyer representing the Chatham County District Attorney pledged to fight the scathing federal sanctions against the DA in a forthcoming appeal.
But last week, the lawyer, Mark Tate, retracted the document stating their intent to appeal.
The reversal, according to Tate, was largely due to the fact that DA Shalena Cook Jones’ prior attorneys filed an improper appeal before he took over. Tate said they can appeal the sanction order only after the case has been decided, not before.
“We are going to defend it at the trial court level,” Tate said.
Cook Jones was sanctioned by a federal judge in October 2023 for unprofessional behavior in a civil case and dodging a deposition, the judge wrote.
Previously, Tate had put the blame on Cook Jones’ lawyers for not apprising her of the multiple case delays and mounting pressure from the judge. He also said Cook Jones was prosecuting a rape case, which trumped her obligation to appear for a deposition in a civil lawsuit.
One more thing: Low-cost chips for Liberty pets
Liberty County Animal Control expects to see an influx of lost pets on New Year’s Day due to fireworks, which can scare animals.
In anticipation of this, LCAS announced it is hosting a microchip clinic on Friday, Dec. 29, to get “as many animals microchipped as possible!” Each chip will cost $5, and there is no residency requirement, no limit on how many animals you can bring and no appointment needed, the agency said. Every microchip comes with a free lifetime registry.
The grain-of-rice shaped chips, injected into under a pet’s skin, serve as identifiers when animal services or shelters find a lost animal. It’s one of the first things they check, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1731 Lee Place Rd. NE
Hinesville, GA 31313.
Stay safe over the holidays. Thank you for being loyal readers of this newsletter and The Current. Your dedication to staying informed is why we do this. Happy holidays, Jake.
$500K settlement in Camden County jail beating lawsuit
A federal lawsuit accusing the Camden County Sheriff’s Office of beating a man was settled for half-a-million dollars, sources say. It’s the latest financial repercussion due to claims against the agency, which forced the county to lose its insurance coverage this summer.
Woodbine man gets life in prison after controversial deputy shooting killed cousin
A Camden County jury acquitted Varshan Brown of the murder of his cousin, LaToya James, who was shot by police during a botched drug raid. However, the jury found him guilty of drug and gun charges as well as shooting at police. A judge sentenced him to life in prison.
Chatham DA to appeal federal judge’s sanctions against her
DA Shalena Cook Jones plans to appeal federal sanctions brought against her, where a judge criticized the Chatham County District Attorney for ignoring deadlines, disrespecting the court and making false statements to avoid a deposition. Her appellate lawyer says prosecuting crimes comes first. Cook Jones has been sanctioned in the past for similar […]
Controversial Chatham County DA to run for reelection
Chatham County’s district attorney, a progressive Georgia prosecutor, targeted by state Republicans says she is running for reelection in 2024
Savannah mayoral candidate not a registered voter when she filed to run
Tyrisha Davis, a candidate for Savannah mayor, was not registered to vote when she filed to run for office, Chatham County officials said. It’s the second apparent violation of requirements to run for mayor, according to state law.
Where does Savannah’s little-known mayoral candidate live?
The Current has been unable to find a confirmed Savannah-based home address for Davis, nor any record of her voting in Georgia – two issues that raise questions about whether she meets the requirement that political candidates must live in Savannah for one year and be a valid registered voter to run for […]
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