Grand jury decides not to indict north Georgia councilwoman arrested on drug charges

COMMERCE, Ga. — A north Georgia councilwoman is no longer facing charges after a grand jury decided not to indict her.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced in January that Roshuanda Merritt, 43, was arrested after investigating allegations that she was distributing marijuana from her home.

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The Jackson County District Attorney’s office confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that a grand jury returned a “no bill” in the case, meaning Merritt will not be indicted on the charges.

In late 2023, Merritt was elected as the Commerce Ward 5 councilwoman, according to the city’s website.

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Jason Black, an attorney representing Merritt, released a statement to Channel 2 Action News on Thursday. It read,

On April 29, 2024, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office presented Ms. Merritt’s case to a Jackson County Grand Jury. Upon hearing the evidence and testimony provided in that hearing, the Grand Jury made the decision to No Bill the case. This has resulted in an outcome that from the very start we believed would be true.

While this has been a painful situation to endure for Ms. Merritt she is thrilled that her name has been cleared and she can close this chapter out in her life. Unfortunately, Ms. Merritt’s professional and personal reputation have been tarnished because of these outlandish charges and it is her goal to show the community and people around her that she is not the person law enforcement painted her to be.

Ms. Merritt will focus on fighting to retain her educational certifications so that she can get back to her beloved career and focus on the children in this community that need her guidance and experience.

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