The Coweta

County Commission stepped into the fray last week over the indictments

of recently elected Clerk of Superior Court Mary Jane Thompson.

Thompson was

indicted on 18 charges last week concerning a missing $8,400 from the

clerk's office last spring when she worked as deputy clerk.

Commissioner

Lawrence Nelms responded to the recent indictments by issuing a statement

during the Dec. 14 commission meeting.

"Recent

newspaper articles have indicated that the Board of Commissioners support

the Superior Court clerk-elect and that the board has been removed from

activities surrounding the alleged problems that resulted in the recent

indictment of Clerk-elect Mary Jane Thompson by the Coweta County Grand

Jury," Nelms said.

Nelms maintained

the county was not aware of the situation until the investigation was

requested.

"In actuality,

first knowledge of any alleged problems came when Superior Court Clerk

Joan Griffies mentioned the alleged problems to County Attorney Mitch

Powell in the early months of this year. Mr. Powell suggested that if

Ms. Griffies thought there were such problems, she should ask for an investigation,"

he added.

"Ms. Griffies

then met with the Board of Commissioners concerning the alleged problems

with the board agreeing that if she thought there were such problems,

an investigation should be requested and suggested that she should go

to the district attorney or GBI to request an investigation. Ms. Griffies

then wrote a letter to District Attorney Pete Skandalakis and he requested

an investigation by the GBI," he said.

The county

was totally cooperative during the investigation, Nelms said.

"During

its investigation, the GBI asked for a forensic audit of the clerk of

Superior Court's books and asked the county to pay for that audit. The

Board of Commissioners agreed and funded the audit, which was performed

Nelms said in his formal statement.

"Any comments

made concerning the recent indictment of the Superior Court clerk-elect

were not made as a part of any meeting of the Board of Commissioners;

the comments were made as individuals talking to a reporter, not as an

official position," he added. "If the comments published are

read, the term 'support' does not appear. The comments made indicated

concern and the fact that all people are innocent until proven guilty.

Nothing else should be drawn from those comments."