– Thursday, May 30, 2024 –
Good morning. In this week’s public safety newsletter, we’re reporting on the indictments of ex-Savannah police officers on perjury charges, the Georgia Attorney General’s decision related to fraud prosecution in Camden County and results from the party vote about the Glynn County sheriff.
Got a question, comment or story idea? Reach out to me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: COURTS
Perjury indictments
The hallway of the Chatham County courthouse’s sixth floor was crammed with television news cameras and journalists last week as the county district attorney hosted a rare press conference.
DA Shalena Cook Jones gathered local media to announce the indictments of two former Savannah Police Department detectives, Darryl Repress and Ashley Wood, on charges of perjury and violating their oaths of office. The charges were first reported by The Current earlier on Thursday morning.
The special session of the grand jury to present the evidence against Repress and Wood marked a significant moment for Cook Jones’ term. The DA, who is up for re-election in November, has said that the under-investigation of cases or misconduct impacted high profile murder cases her office took on and inherited.
“It has come to our attention that there are a multitude of serious crimes, murders, shootings and investigations that cannot be prosecuted … because of the involvement of (these) officers,” Cook Jones said. She said that she will host another press conference to notify the public what cases can no longer be pursued because of their alleged conduct.
NEWS: COURTS
AG declines to prosecute PSA fraud
The Georgia Attorney General’s office said it would not prosecute the alleged co-conspirators in the case of $3.2 million stolen from the Camden County Public Service Authority.
The decision last month officially closed the AG’s yearlong review into the case, which came after William Brunson, the former PSA director and lead defendant, died in July 2023. The office said there was not enough evidence to prosecute the PSA assistant director Shawnta Jenkins, the former Camden County Chief Financial Officer Michael Fender and his wife, Caroline Fender.
Jenkins was accused of participating in Brunson’s check-cashing scheme, while the Fenders were charged with taking stolen money from Brunson to fund the private school they run.
ANALYSIS: ELECTIONS
Law enforcement on the county ballot
An update to a story we’ve been following out of Glynn County: control over law enforcement.
Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump has advocated to lead countywide law enforcement, instead of the status quo where duties are split between the county police department and the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office currently runs the jail and does traffic enforcement, while the Glynn County Police Department oversees all other aspects of policing.
The question of whether the sheriff should lead county law enforcement made its way onto the Republican ballot for Glynn County this month. It was an attempt to measure the issue for Republican voters, party leaders said, and we now have results.
Of the 6,611 who voted on the question, 4,404 voted yes (67%) while 2,207 voted no (33%).
Jump has this pushed for this change in control for years. In 2020 the idea was proposed in the state legislature after the indictments of the former top brass of the GCPD. In 2022 Jump pitched it to county commissioners after the departure of former Chief Jacques Battiste.
The sheriff says law enforcement needs to be streamlined under an elected officer, rather than subject to the whims of county commissioners. Others, like current commissioner Allen Booker, see the move as a power grab. Booker says Black residents at least have a seat at the table under the current system.
Some important context on the votes: Turnout in Glynn County for the May 21 primary and partisan election was at 15.41% of registered voters, according to The Current‘s Maggie Lee.
Grand jury indicts two former Savannah police detectives for perjury
Two fired Savannah Police Department officers were indicted by a grand jury this week on charges of lying under oath.
AG declines to prosecute Camden County PSA fraud
The Georgia Attorney General’s office said there is not enough evidence to prosecute those charged in $3.2 million fraud of Camden County’s parks agency.
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