Investigation shows Fulton County government employee misused county vehicles

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — There’s a new push to remove an employee of the Fulton County government.

After Channel 2 Action News reported that Jonathan Harris had been arrested multiple times, Fulton County launched an investigation of their own.

Commissioner Natalie Hall hired Harris as her community engagement manager with a salary of $65,000 a year.

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One of the perks of the job is the use of county vehicles.

But a county investigation showed he was misusing that perk.

Through an open records request, Channel 2′s Sophia Choi obtained a letter and supporting data gathered by Fulton County police.

The report shows police used surveillance and license plate readers to track Harris.

They found that he used county vehicles “during non-business hours such as overnight, weekends, and holidays without a documented business purpose.”

That investigation led county commissioners to institute a moratorium on the use of county vehicles by all commissioners and their employees for 30 days during a vote on Monday.

“When it comes to safeguarding the taxpayer, because this is taxpayer money, we have a duty that company policy, the county policy is followed,” Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur Rahman said. “Given light of what happened with this particular situation, that we may need to reevaluate, update and possibly put penalties in place.”

The county started looking into Harris after a Channel 2 Action News investigation into his criminal history which showed he went to state prison for breaking probation after a judge gave him first offender status for his 2016 crimes.

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Since getting out of prison three years ago, Harris stayed clean and a judge sealed his felony record.

But he still has one outstanding charge for theft by conversion which is currently on judicial hold.

In the letter obtained by Choi, county commissioners noted our prior investigation and asked Commissioner Natalie Hall to “remove Mr. Harris from your staff.”

Choi spoke to Harris Tuesday and he had no comment.

Commissioner Hall was unavailable for comment. She spent her day in federal court for a separate, sexual harassment hearing.

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