A representative of the state Attorney General said Wednesday his office won’t investigate Sheriff Donny Turner.
David S. McLaughlin, senior assistant attorney general, sent Coweta District Attorney Pete Skandalakis a letter saying Turner did nothing criminally wrong when he tried to intimidate a former employee into not campaigning for an opponent in the July 31 election.
“This conclusion only involves the question of criminality and not the ethical considerations presented by Sheriff Turner’s comments,” McLaughlin wrote.
Turner is accused of threatening the job of former sheriff’s department employee Jon Whitney, who has been head of security at West Georgia Health since 2007. Voter intimidation is a felony.
McLaughlin said Turner wasn’t trying to intimidate Whitney into not voting and an act of intimidation didn’t occur.
“The issue is not one of elector intimidation, but one of retaliation against Mr. Whitney for supporting another candidate,” McLaughlin said. The attorney general’s office also defined intimidation as “placing another person in reasonable fear for the person’s safety or the safety of another person.”
“There is no evidence that Sheriff Turner’s comments placed Mr. Whitney in reasonable fear for his safety or the safety of others,” McLaughlin said.
Turner said after the incident that he acted out because he was hurt seeing a former employee campaign for his opponent.
Awhile back, I helped YOU get YOUR job. And now you are abusing your position and power? I'll be coming after your job by voting you out of office soon. take care!
I do think that the Sheriff has cracked the door for the citizens to walk through. We have a chance to change the direction in which this county is going and hopefully we will take advantage of it by voting out all of the incumbents.
What about the Mayor being considered for Judge? A former car salesman, turned Mayor, that hasn't practiced law for 30 years. Seriously there is no way he is qualified for that position. But that's politics good ole boy style.
DISAPPOINTED WOULD NOT EVEN BEGAN TO SAY HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOUR STORY ON THE INCIDENT WITH DONNY TURNER. ARE YOU KIDDING ME.......REALLY.........THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN DO? IF IT HAD BEEN ANYONE OTHER THAN MR. TURNER YOU WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM HELL. WE HAVE ALL SEEN THE ARTICLES THAT HAVE RAN IN THE PAST, ARTICLES THAT HAVE SLAMMED EVERY CANDIDATE RUNNING FOR ANY OFFICE IN TROUP COUNTY THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE GOOD OLE BOY CLUB. THE ABOVE MENTIONED ARTICLE IS A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT ONLY DID YOU NOT ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS, YOU STILL MANGED, BETWEEN ALL THE CRYING AND WHINING TO ALLOW SHERIFF TURNER TO SLAM ANOTHER CANDIDATE. BY THE TIME I FINISHED READING IT I COULD NOT HELP BUT WONDER IF YOU WERE ALL HOLDING HANDS AND CRYING. I BET IF ANYONE WOULD HAVE CALL SHERIFF TURNER AND THREATENED HIM IN THAT MANNER THERE ASS WOULD HAVE BEEN HAULED OFF TO JAIL IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT THE TROUP COUNTY NEWS IS IN THE POCKET OF DONNY TURNER AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS YOU WILL NEVER PRINT A STORY THAT SAYS ANYTHING NEGATIVE HIM. YOU SAY YOU RECEIVED MANY EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS ABOUT THIS BUT YOU ONLY CHOSE TO PRINT THE ONE THAT YOU FELT WOULD HELP SHERIFF TURNER THE MOST. WHY DID YOU NOT PRINT EVEN ONE EMAIL THAT TALKED ABOUT HOW UNPROFESSIONAL HIS CONDUCT WAS, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK WHY YOU NEVER ASK HIM ABOUT HIS UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT? I ALONG WITH MOST EVERYONE I KNOW FEELS THAT IF SOMEONE THAT'S IN A SUCH AN IMPORTANT POSITION AS SHERIFF AND THIS PERSON CAN NOT HANDLE HIMSELF ANY BETTER THAN THIS OVER SOMETHING SO SMALL HOW THE HELL CAN THEY BE TRUSTED TO HANDLE THEMSELVES IN A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES LEADERSHIP? I ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT BELIEVE HE CAN. IN CLOSING I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I HAVE TALKED TO MANY PEOPLE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS THAT AFTER READING THE JULY 18TH ISSUE OF THE TROUP COUNTY NEWS HAVE SAID THEY WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE, AND I ALSO FEEL THE SAME WAY. THE TROUP COUNTY NEWS IS A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lagrange Daily news reports that the Attorney General’s office will not proceed with a case against our sheriff. This is apparently because the OCGA 21-2-567 felony of intimidating an elector applies only to a person in the process of voting, not in the process of campaigning. Similarly, the federal voting rights act would seem to protect only minorities in the process of exercising the right to vote. While a strict reading of these statutes has yielded these unsatisfactory results, what ever happened to the spirit of the law?
In some cultures, an official caught doing what our sheriff did would immediately resign in order to save a modicum of dignity. Since saving face is clearly unimportant, we cannot hope that a voluntary resignation will occur. There seems to be too much materialism in this punishment/reward/religion dominated culture for that to happen. So, is that the end of this story? Maybe not.
With over 70,000 hits on the “Sheriff Turner threatens….” story in a county with a population of about 67,000, one can safely assume that lots of voters are upset because what the sheriff did is very, very wrong. Notwithstanding the technical outcome from the Attorney General’s office, we cherish liberty, and we must tolerate no assault on it.
Who will enforce the spirit of the law? In this case, it will be left up to the voters.
Mike Smith
I encourage the voters of this county to see him for what he is, a BULLY. I just received copies of court transcripts involving a case brought against him in 1992. His friend Judge Prescott had that matter taken care of for him. It was found that though his actions may have not been "illegal", though that is up for debate, they were certainly unethical. The Smith family will forever be scarred by Turner's involvement with their family.
Turner clearly has friends in high places. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am...and furious.
But I will channel that anger into the ballot box and vote to ensure that this is Turner's last hurrah.
I hope my neighbors will do the same.