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Top public defender taking leave

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

Griffin Judicial Circuit Chief Public Defender Arthur Hurst English IV is taking a two-month leave of absence for unspecified health and personal reasons.

Georgia Public Defender Standards Council Director Michael Mears announced July 26 that English will take a 60-day leave of absence.

English is the chief public defender for the circuit, which covers Upson, Spalding, Fayette and Pike counties and is part of the new statewide public defender system which became operational in January. The office provides legal representation to the indigent.

English works out of the Griffin office. Attorney Tammy Jacobs will run the office in English's absence.

"Arthur requested that he be placed on voluntary administrative leave for up to 60 days so that he could attend to some personal matters," Mears said in a prepared statement. "While Arthur is taking this needed time off, I know Tammy Jacobs will do an excellent job with the Griffin office. Additional lawyers will also be available through GPDSC's central office to cover Arthur's cases in his absence."

Meanwhile, a traffic-related death inquiry that centers on English is pending, said Gordy Wright, spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol.

English was involved in a three-vehicle collision in Griffin March 10 that later ended in the death of 61-year-old Hiram Graybill Daniel Jr., of Stockbridge.

Daniel was a prominent amateur softball commissioner who was on his way to Tallahassee, Fla., to umpire a game at the time of the collision, officials said.

According to earlier reports, English, the driver of a GMC Yukon, failed to stop and rear-ended Daniel's Ford Mustang. Daniel's Mustang then struck a truck.

English was initially cited for driving too fast for conditions despite the fact that the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time of the accident, officials indicated. Speed also was not a factor in the accident, officials said.

The charge was withdrawn for further inquiry after Daniel died several hours later March 11 at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta from subdural hematoma, an injury to the brain. The accident caused his death, according to Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster.

English could face a vehicular homicide charge in the case, officials said. However, the charge would most likely be a misdemeanor and would not necessarily cause English to lose his job as a chief public defender since lawyers can still serve if they have a misdemeanor on their record, former Fayette County State Solicitor Steve Harris indicated.