By Jamie Gardner
For months it has been rumored that an investigation into illegal telephone monitoring/eavesdropping has been ongoing at the Appling County Board of Education. On Monday, District Attorney Jackie L. Johnson made a presentation to board members and members of the public about an investigation her office conducted. The following is a letter Johnson presented to the board on the matter.
Dear Board Members:
District Attorney gives report on BOE investigation
Based on allegations of possible criminal activity within the Appling County School System in violation of O.C.G.A. §16-11-62 and §16-11-69, I requested the GBI to render assistance for the limited purposes of determining whether or not these statutes were being violated. I assigned Special Assistant District Attorney John B. Johnson III with my office to coordinate with the GBI on the matter.
It was determined that there was a telephone system in operation within the school that allowed for a third party to silently monitor a conversation to which he/she was not a party. Interviews were conducted with witnesses that indicated the telephone system may have been used for this purpose. The GBI performed a forensic analysis on the telephone system in Atlanta. However, the analysis did not produce either evidence that could confirm that the system had been used to monitor conversations in this manner, or evidence useful in the identification of any particular suspect.
Based on the foregoing, my office has concluded that no criminal charges may be brought at this time. We are closing our file on the matter such that it is open as a public record to the board. I would like to thank the school board, the superintendent, and the employees of the school system for their cooperation with the GBI and my office. Please contact me at (912) 576-3704 if I can be of any further assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Jackie L. Johnson
District Attorney
Brunswick Judicial Circuit
Following the presentation, Jackie Johnson and John Johnson advised the board to remove the monitoring feature from the telephone system completely to prevent any opportunity of abuse. It was also noted that the investigation started around the middle of 2010.
(The News-Banner will have a complete report on the board meeting in next week’s issue.)
It was determined that there was a telephone system in operation within the school that allowed for a third party to silently monitor a conversation to which he/she was not a party. Interviews were conducted with witnesses that indicated the telephone system may have been used for this purpose. The GBI performed a forensic analysis on the telephone system in Atlanta. However, the analysis did not produce either evidence that could confirm that the system had been used to monitor conversations in this manner, or evidence useful in the identification of any particular suspect.
Based on the foregoing, my office has concluded that no criminal charges may be brought at this time. We are closing our file on the matter such that it is open as a public record to the board. I would like to thank the school board, the superintendent, and the employees of the school system for their cooperation with the GBI and my office. Please contact me at (912) 576-3704 if I can be of any further assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Jackie L. Johnson
District Attorney
Brunswick Judicial Circuit
Following the presentation, Jackie Johnson and John Johnson advised the board to remove the monitoring feature from the telephone system completely to prevent any opportunity of abuse. It was also noted that the investigation started around the middle of 2010.
(The News-Banner will have a complete report on the board meeting in next week’s issue.)
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