Before he resigned last month, the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council was preparing to fire Arthur English IV, Fayette’s chief public defender, on several charges that he used his office for personal gain, according to public records reviewed by The Citizen.

Specifically, English was accused of:

• Using an investigator in his office to “locate and interview a witness” related to criminal charges against English’s brother, Mac English. Mac English was convicted in July of two counts of criminal solicitation of murder for trying to arrange the killings of two former Department of Natural Resources rangers.

• Accessing information maintained by his office on a witness in Mac English’s criminal case “in an effort to ascertain the witness’s whereabouts.”

• Directing his administrative assistant to contact her mother, a secretary for a judge, to determine if the judge had issued search warrants for his home.

Arthur English was charged in August by the Lamar County Sheriff’s Department for two counts of theft by receiving stolen property relating to a trailer and four-wheeler in his possession.

English did not return several messages left for him by press time Tuesday afternoon.

English also was accused of lying in an August probate court proceeding in Lamar County, an alleged falsehood that likely benefitted his client, who was charged with driving under the influence. During the hearing, the prosecution moved to continue the case because the Georgia state trooper who made the arrest wasn’t present at the time.

English then told the court he had taken two days of personal leave to handle the case, and the DUI charge was plea-bargained down to a reduced charge of reckless driving the same day.

At the time, however, English was on administrative leave following his arrest on the Lamar County charges for possession of stolen property, according to a letter from Michael Mears, director of the Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council.

Those charges are still pending, although a Lamar County Grand Jury declined to take any action when recently presented the case, leaving open the possibility that English may be indicted on the charges or cleared with a “no bill.”

He was allowed to accept a position with the Henry County Public Defenders Office and he can apply for any circuit public defender position when one becomes available.

The records reviewed by The Citizen were obtained in an open records request filed by the paper with the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.

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