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Wingo charges dropped

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

Fayette County Solicitor-General Jamie Inagawa has decided to drop a criminal charge filed against Fayette County Tax Commissioner George Wingo after he brought a shotgun to the tag office.

Fayette County marshal officials filed the charge after an anonymous caller phoned 911 on March 14 and reported he saw a man waving a gun at the county’s Stonewall office complex.

Wingo was charged with carrying a weapon at a public gathering several days after county marshals researched the matter with the attorney for Fayette County, representing the County Commission.

But the case began to weaken after an anonymous caller later identified as William Andrew Burks, the husband of Wingo’s employee Tracy Burks, was arrested for filing a false report that he was the one who saw Wingo waving the shotgun.

Fayette County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Division Director Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan said Burks couldn’t have seen Wingo waving a shotgun because Burks was at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when he placed the anonymous 911 call.

Jordan said they learned Burks placed the call after Burks’ wife admitted it to Wingo.

Fayette County Chief Marshal Ed Collins declined to ask the solicitor to back off the case after Burks’ arrest stating, “I don’t know the person they charged is the person who called.”

Nevertheless, Inagawa stepped in to review the case before moving forward.

After reviewing the facts, Inagawa released his decision in an e-mail June 3.

“My office has conducted a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the charges against George Wingo,” Inagawa said. “Based on all of the evidence, I have determined that the charges will be dismissed.”

Those words were music to Wingo’s ears.

“If it is true, I’m elated at the outcome,” Wingo said Tuesday. “I will distribute a press release once I am notified.”

Wingo acknowledged he brought the skeet gun to the county office, but contended he never meant to intimidate or harm anyone. Wingo said he won the skeet gun in a raffle and he brought it to the office to show off to a couple of employees. The shotgun was never in plain view, he added.

“What happened was totally innocent and certainly didn’t warrant any citation,” he said.

Wingo said the case was “mishandled.”

He said the marshals should have investigated the anonymous complaint before moving forward with the citation.

Wingo also said he was sworn in as a deputy sheriff on April 22, 1993, “and has been ever since.” In the state of Georgia, a deputy sheriff is exempt from prosecution under the code section he was charged under.

Collins said he stands by the solicitor’s decision and also his department’s decision to cite Wingo.

“It was the solicitor’s call and I’m sure Mr. Wingo is pleased,” Collins said.

Collins said he gave Wingo time to produce evidence showing he was exempt from the code section and he denies the incident was mishandled.

“He’s never had anything happen like this before,” Collins said. “He’s unfamiliar with the process of filing a charge. We delayed charging him, giving him the opportunity to show where he was exempt from under the law. He was unable to do it, so we made the charge.”