Jurors in DeKalb corruption probe say judge illegally keeping them in service

DECATUR, Ga. — Members of the special grand jury investigating corruption in DeKalb County government met Wednesday on their own and filed a motion in the case.

The 23 grand jurors have now accused Judge Mark Anthony Scott of illegally keeping them in service.

Their term was only supposed to last a year, which ended in January, and the report they submitted has yet to be made public.

Scott has delayed the process while prosecutors fight to keep him from giving CEO Burrell Ellis and his former campaign manager, Kevin Ross, an advance copy of the report, so they can try get parts of it expunged.

They believe the grand jury may have exceeded the scope of its investigation, and want to see the report to try to prove that before its made public.

In Wednesday's filing, the grand jurors asked the judge to either dismiss them and release the report, or officially extend their term so they can keep investigating.

The report is the culmination of a year-long investigation into public corruption, which began with allegations of bribery and bid-rigging in the county's Watershed Department, but later expanded to include questions about contracts county-wide. Ellis' home was raided during the investigation.

In February, Scott, the judge overseeing the corruption probe, held a secret hearing in his courtroom. Channel 2 crews made an attempt to cover the hearing, but our producer was barred from entering the courtroom.

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WSBTV