Douglas County Officials, Former Employee And Contractor Indicted

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Three elected Douglas County officials, a former purchasing director and a contractor were indicted Friday by a grand jury in connection with a 2018 S&A Express janitorial bid, Attorney General Chris Carr said.

Douglas County Chairwoman Romona Jackson Jones, Douglas County Commissioner Henry Mitchell, Douglas County Tax Commissioner Greg Baker, former purchasing director Bill Peacock and S&A Express owner Anthony Knight were indicted on one count of conspiracy in restraint of free and open competition in transactions, Carr said.

Jones was also indicted on one count of false statements, Carr said.

According to the indictment, the defendants are accused of helping S&A Express sail through a bidding process from May 29, 2018, and June 26, 2018.

S&A did not bid on a janitorial contract with Douglas County during the bidding window; however, the company was granted a second proposal request, according to the indictment. The bid was then accepted though the bidding window was closed on the second proposal request, according to the indictment.

The defendants are accused of opening and reviewing sealed bids and adding S&A's bid in an amount that exactly matched the lowest bid, according to the indictment.

The contract between S&A and Douglas County officials was signed before being voted on at a Board of Commissioners meeting, according to the indictment. The defendants voted in favor of adopting the contract during the meeting, according to the indictment.

Jones is accused of giving a false statement on June 1, 2022, to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the agency in charge of investigating the case, according to the indictment. She is accused of falsely telling special agents that she did not sign the janitorial contract prior to the commissioners meeting.

“Those who work for the taxpayers of Georgia are expected to uphold high ethical standards and to perform their duties in an honest and transparent manner," Carr said in the release. "Whether an elected official or employee, anyone who breaks this trust will be held accountable for their actions. We take these allegations very seriously, and we look forward to presenting our case in court."