I’ve lived in Newton County, Ga., the vast majority of my career. You might even be able to identify some of the county’s sights and sounds from the numerous film and television works that have helped us become popular over the years because of how beautiful the area is to live in.
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Just like any other society, we’ve had our share of political intrigue and controversy. A local boys ‘ ( and girls’ ) club with an old boys ‘ ( and girls ‘ ) club predominated local politics for a while. The first female president of Covington, the state chair, dealt with incident during her time in office in the ‘ 90s. ( Our second female mayor is a friend of mine who is doing a fantastic job, largely because she cares more about helping the Covington residents than what people think of her. )
The state stage is where we have seen the most problem. A crooked former county prosecutor who was on deposit for a million dollars a month even as he was pushing for projects that lined his pockets yet more is still reeling from the fact that some region departments are also paying him a pretty penny for his services.
Due to demographic swings on the county’s north side, local politicians have changed in recent years, shifting Newton from a region with more Republican-leaning roots to one with Democrat leanings. No Republicans ran for office in several statewide elections this year because they knew it would be impossible to win, but there were two groups of voters in the Democratic primary this year: those who favored the previous attorney and those who decided to distance themselves from him.
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Unfortunately, the Democrats of Newton County have plenty of fraud to answer for. A federal grand jury indicted Stephanie Lindsey and Marcello Banes, the board’s president, for cash fraud, just last week.
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” This is a situation of a government official breaking the public’s trust to strengthen himself and a salesperson who did not serve her client, but rather, assisted the public official in breaking the law”, said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office, according to the U. S. Attorney’s Office press release.
The media transfer details the problem:
A business named” Company A” in the prosecution expressed an interest in purchasing about 40 hectares of the JDA’s [Joint Development Authority, a four-county specialist tasked with bringing business expense to the area ] land for commercial growth in 2018. By coordinating a brokerage agreement between Company A and Lindsey, Company A agreed to pay$ 150, 000 to Lindsey’s CSL Realty Group ( CSL ) upon completion of Company A’s purchase of the parcel.
The indictment claims that Banes and Lindsey misled Company A into believing that the committee was solely intended for Lindsey when Company A entered this trading deal. Banes and Lindsey made it known to Company A that Lindsey would give Banes the majority of the commission, which would depend on the JDA’s consenting to the purchase. If Company A’s masters had known that Banes would receive any of the payment, they would not have entered the trading deal.
With no Democratic candidates running in November, Lindsey even won the Democratic primary for District 3 inspector. Additionally, Bondes defeated a main opponent who wanted to run unopposed in the public election. If Newton County people had known how dishonest these prospects were, they may have chosen a different candidate in the May primary.
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The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO ), however, is where the problem is most apparent. I shared with you about a scandal involving an inmate who escaped from delegates at a nearby hospital in May. The coroner’s lack of transparency and transparency exacerbated his department’s stupidity.
Relevant:  , An Escaped Prisoner Leads to an’ Internal Investigation ‘ Within Georgia Sheriff’s Department
More recently, the prosecutor’s office arrested one of its own. Next week, authorities arrested 31- yr- ancient Akima Martin, a detention officer, for having an improper relationship with a feminine inmate. But that’s not the only problem facing the coroner’s office regarding terrible employee behavior.
I requested a FOIA request to know how many lawsuits the NCSO has filed overall under Sheriff Ezell Brown’s leadership over the previous 15 years, but I have n’t heard back. Now, the NCSO is battling two complaints totaling$ 6 million. One of them involves a$ 1 million lawsuit involving a deputy in a car accident, but I want to concentrate on the$ 5 million case.
In the first days of July 8, 2023, Deputy George Rahming was on guard when he approached a girl who was looking for a walk, according to the complaint. She accepted his request for a ride in his patrol car, and he stopped at a convenience store, gave her a snack and a drink, and began requesting that she perform lewd acts on him. When she said she was n’t a prostitute, he replied,” I have no intention of arresting you, I just want that a**”.
Rahming sexually assaulted the woman after driving her to a wooded area close to a middle-school. The most astonishing aspect of the lawsuit is what it claims to follow:
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Ms. Jennings observed two patrol cars approaching the scene while they quickly turned around and drove away. When one of us sees one of us parked back here, Rahming instructed her to leave us alone. They are aware of what occurs.
Rahming was detained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the NCSO fired him. However, the lawsuit asserts that the NCSO’s issues extend beyond the role of a bad deputy, claiming that” the County and NCSO had in place a policy, practice, or custom that permitted and may have encouraged NCSO deputies to engage in criminal activity with citizens of Newton County, including” the plaintiff.
I’m hoping, praying, and, of course, voting for change in the county I’ve called home for so many years. We pay a lot of attention to the “big” elections, the ones that have the biggest impact, and that is right. But take it from me: your local elections matter. Do n’t forget to make your voice heard in those, too.
