NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of sheriff’s deputies were posted outside a closed-door Newton County Commission meeting on Thursday that was called after the Human Resources director was suspended.
Channel 2’s Cory James was at the courthouse where sources told him those deputies cost thousands of taxpayer dollars.
Larry McSwain said he was inside the Newton County Historic Courthouse on Thursday night when deputies started pouring in ahead of the closed session meeting.
“He sent a very powerful number of deputies, at least 50 or more,” McSwain said.
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Officials say there more deputies inside the courthouse than on the streets.
James obtained a copy of a memo from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office that says, “At the request of Sheriff Ezell Brown, all available deputies are directed to report to the Board of Commissioners meeting tonight at 7 p.m.”
“The other side seems to say that was sheriff’s way to intimidate the board of commissioners and their decision making,” McSwain said.
That decision involved the county’s HR Director, who other county officials say was suspended several weeks ago by the county manager.
However, an official told James that the interim chair reinstated her against the charter.
When the director showed up to work, they say a deputy was assigned to her for eight hours to prevent anyone from forcing her to leave.
That’s when the Board of Commissioners called last week’s emergency meeting.
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“He did the right thing because if he hadn’t had enough deputies, and something happened, it was going to be on his back,” resident Thelma Nolley said.
Atlanta-based trial attorney Luke Andrews with Finch-McRannie weighed in.
“In a hypothetical circumstance where police are showing up at public meetings with the intent of discouraging or...intimidating people out of exercising their first amendment rights well that could be a first amendment violation,” Andrews said.
The sheriff’s office released a statement saying in part,
“The amount of law enforcement personnel present reflected the intel our agency received regarding the meeting and the potential for heightened tensions surrounding it. Our priority is, and always will be, ensuring the safety of everyone in attendance, including members of the public, county employees and elected officials.”
James reached out to the county for a statement and was told that they cannot comment on personnel matters.
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