WAVERLY HALL, Ga - State investigators are trying to unravel a Harris County corruption mystery: Why did some people see their criminal charges dropped after they donated to a police fund-raiser?
In this town north of Columbus, the clue to the case was discovered by a city clerk who noticed that two people charged with DUI suddenly had the charges dropped after donating to a police fund for a drug-sniffing dog named Mollie.
The clerk, Donna Williams, suspected that those donations had something to do with the charges being dismissed.
The former police chief, Gregory Bledsoe, started the dog fund before resigning March 3.
Bledsoe had secured a $10,000 grant through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to buy, equip and train a drug dog while he was police chief in nearby Shiloh. After he became acting chief in Waverly Hall two years ago, he asked the council to transfer the grant to Waverly Hall.
Williams said Bledsoe assured the mayor and council that the dog wouldn't cost the city any money. To help pay for ongoing costs, Bledsoe set up a drug-dog fund to receive donations. Mollie, a Belgian malinois that resembles a small German shepherd, arrived in November 2002. Bledsoe underwent training to become Mollie's handler.
Municipal Court records reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer show that last October, a police officer issued a DUI ticket to a George H. Luttrell. On Nov. 20, the ticket was dismissed.
City records show that Luttrell made a payment of $956 into the dog fund in November.
In the other case, George Marshall Jr. was given a DUI ticket in August by Bledsoe. On Nov. 20, that ticket also was dismissed, the same month records show Marshall made two $475 payments to the dog fund.
In addition to the dog fund mystery, investigators noticed that at least one speeding ticket was waived for "professional courtesy," the recipient thought to have been related to a sheriff's deputy.
"Ninety-nine percent of the time if an officer or solicitor recommends something, I follow it," said Municipal Court Judge David Turner, who said he was questioned about tickets and funds by GBI agent Leigh Brooks on June 2.
Turner said city officials didn't talk to him about the dismissal of tickets until Police Chief Arch Hand mentioned it after Bledsoe resigned.
When District Attorney Gray Conger learned about the concerns, Conger said he asked for a GBI investigation.
"There was reasonable suspicion to ask for a GBI investigation of possible criminal conduct," he said.
Chief Hand said the focus of the investigation is to determine whether money was misappropriated or whether poor bookkeeping occurred. Information was not available on how close the GBI is to completing the investigation.
Another question to be answered is where Bledsoe went after resigning. City officials say they don't know where Bledsoe he is.
After Bledsoe resigned, city officials learned they couldn't give the dog to another city and placed it in a kennel. It has since been returned to a canine unit in Chatham County.
Now the city of Pine Mountain, which contributed $1,000 to the Waverly Hall dog fund in exchange for assistance with the dog, plans to acquire the drug dog.
Meanwhile, Waverly Hall's drug dog fund has been frozen. Between January 2003 and January 2004, a total of $3,761 was donated to or raised for the fund, which has a balance of $2,145.
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