DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A grand jury returned indictments Friday against two of Douglas County’s elected county commissioners – plus the elected tax commissioner. Two others connected to the case were also indicted, according to the state's attorney general office.
In 2018, Douglas County commissioners took bids to clean the auto tag office building used by Douglas County Tax Commissioner Greg Baker. The county awarded the bid to a janitorial service called S&A Express.
But now, a grand jury said there’s evidence the contract was awarded after three elected officials rigged the bidding process.
Inside the Douglas County Courthouse, prosecutors and state attorneys spent Friday morning presenting their case to a grand jury—which returned the indictments around midday.
The grand jury accuses Baker – plus county commissioner Henry Mitchell III and county commission chairman Romona Jackson Jones of conspiracy to rig the janitorial contract.
It says, “the accused, after reviewing the bids, caused S&A Express’ bid to be exactly the same as the lowest bid” submitted by other contractors. The indictment also accuses chairman Jones of lying to investigators when asked about when she signed the janitorial contract.
Friday evening, Douglas County Administrator David Corbin released a statement about the indictment.
"It is important to remember that an indictment is just an allegation, and that those indicted are entitled to a presumption of innocence. These allegations should not distract from the outstanding accomplishments that we have had in moving this county forward," the statement reads in part. "The public should rest assured that the Douglas County government remains committed to delivering superior public service to its citizens and will focus on continuing to advance the County in a positive direction."
Jones' attorney also released a statement saying the chairman "vehemently denies the allegations in the indictment and strongly proclaims her innocence." The lawyer added that Jones looks forward to challenging the allegations in court.
The state attorney general’s office presented the indictment to grand jurors. A bid rigging conviction could result in up to five years in prison.