Parks Director Accused of Forging Document For Son's Community Service

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The director of the Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department appears to be off the job after it was discovered he forged a signature on a document his son needed to prove he performed community service hours.

A discrepancy in the signature kicked off the inquiry, said Athens-Clarke County Chief Probation Officer Dale Allen.

Reid Young, the son of Parks Director Ronnie Young, was arrested for an underage alcohol offense in 2015 and was assigned to perform 60 hours of community service by a judge.

Allen said it's common for college students to ask to perform the service in their hometown. In this case, Reid Young asked to perform the service in Sandy Springs.

"We didn’t know his father ran the parks (department)," Allen told Patch.

Allen noted there isn't a law that he's aware of that would prevent someone from performing community service under the watchful eye of a relative, but added he didn't believe it was the "best practice."

When it came time to verify Reid Young's service, an employee in the Athens-Clarke County Probation Office raised questions about variations of a signature on the document. Allen said the information was provided on a letterhead, and the signature on it was slightly different than what the office previously received.

Allen stated his office opened an "inquiry" into the issue and reached out to the Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department. The office was able to track down the employee whose signature had been added to the form and that person said he didn't sign the form, Allen told Patch.

Allen said he reached out to Ronnie Young, who he said admitted to signing the document for the employee. He also said Young did not provide a log that showed the amount of time his son put in for the city.

Since it was determined that the service was done under the guidance of a family member and the office's inability to verify the information, the probation office decided not to accept Reid Young's hours.

"With those things (in mind), I'm not going to accept the hours," he said. "I'm in no way saying he didn't do it. We just don’t know."

Allen said a judge subsequently reassigned Reid Young to perform community service in Athens-Clarke County.

According to WSB-TV, Ronnie Young left his post with the city of Sandy Springs on Oct. 4. Young was employed as the city's Recreation and Parks Director through Jacobs Engineering, the private company the city utilizes for some of its services.

The city directed Patch to Jacobs Engineering for comment. Patch reached out to the company for comment, but they would not confirm the status of Young's employment.

Assistant Director Michael Barnett has taken over operations on an interim basis, city spokesperson Dan Coffer added.

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