DA's office may re-indict Crawford Lewis

DECATUR, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned former DeKalb County School Superintendent Crawford Lewis may face indictment again.

On Friday, Channel 2's Mark Winne spoke exclusively to Lewis, who said he can't believe this case has dragged on as long as it has.

"I'm disappointed that for almost three years, this matter still has not had some resolution to it," Lewis told Winne.

Winne was in a DeKalb County courtroom where Lewis had an appearance scheduled Friday. He learned Lewis may be indicted again.

"I think that, for three years or more, my family and I have been in legal limbo and we're looking forward to the day when we're able to move forward and I can prove my innocence," Lewis said.

"Why do you think this is coming?" Winne asked Lewis.

"I have no further statements at this time," Lewis responded.

Lewis and others were indicted for RICO and more in 2010. Then last year, Channel 2 Action News reported the DeKalb County district attorney told us a new indictment against Lewis and two others sharpened the focus on Lewis.

Now, his attorneys told Winne the DeKalb DA's office has notified the defense it intends to replace the indictment against Lewis and his co-defendants with a new one to streamline the charges.

They indicated it came up because both sides had been scheduled to argue about alleged defects in the current racketeering indictment Friday.

Lawyers Mike Brown and Bernard Taylor said the issue that was argued Friday was whether the defense is entitled to know when a DA's investigator threw out his handwritten notes from several key witnesses after he typed up bullet-point highlights later presented to the defense.

"He destroyed the documents. The question is, was that done intentionally?" Taylor said.

The prosecution suggests the investigator basically testified his law enforcement training was, once relevant info has been transferred from your notes to your report, you destroy the notes.

It said Lewis is seeking court permission for a fishing expedition.

"There's nothing shady about the idea that his notes were destroyed," said prosecutor Christopher Timmons.

WSBTV