GBI Investigates Tyrone

Fayette District Attorney Scott Ballard has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for a criminal probe into Tyrone’s finances. GBI Agent Larry Duen went to Tyrone last December and is continuing this year to examine records and interview past and present Tyrone officials. Duen said he has already talked to previous Town Managers Barry Amos & Valerie Caldwell. Ex Mayor Sheryl Lee was also interviewed. D. A. Ballard asked the GBI to center its investigation around the $36,000 in vacation pay that Ms. Caldwell paid to herself and Amos in Nov. & Dec. 2007 under the old Council’s watch. Mayor Lee was alleged to have given Caldwell authorization to write the checks contrary to the Employee Payment Plan. Agent Duen said the investigation could take 4-5 months; and when complete the findings will be sent to the Fayette D.A. to decide if any criminal indictments are appropriate under the law. The Tyrone Council had refused to do its own investigation and have egg on their faces, trying to hide the GBI investigation from their citizens. Let this embarrassment be a lesson to all elected officials to stop secrecy in government and let the people know what is going on.

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The GBI's in Tyrone?
Submitted by Dawn Hassel on Sat, 01/24/2009 - 2:04pm.

What's going on now in their government? You mean the GBI has been investigating for over a month and the council hasn't said a word about it? Do any of their citizen care? Does the council care? Apparently the District Attorney cares. Good for Scott Ballard.

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The GBI was also in PTC not long ago
Submitted by dollaradayandno... on Sat, 01/24/2009 - 4:33pm.

but they said the cop thang AND THE tENNIS THANG WUZ THE CITY'S PROBLEM---NOT THEREN!
They ain't much gude atall.

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The $36,000.00 dollar answer is....
suggarfoot's picture
Submitted by suggarfoot on Sat, 01/24/2009 - 7:20am.

something everyone in Tyrone deserves. Most every citizen has an unpleasant memory of Barry and Valarie.

It has been easy to put all the hateful actions and embarrassment behind us. But we owe it to ourselves and each other, to know what happened to that money.

Someone must be held accountable for why those checks were written. Either the old mayor is responsible as Valerie said, or Valerie wrote those checks because she wanted the money.

Barry and Valerie's salaries were outrageous and a drain on the Town.

Now, this investigator has the answer as to who is responsible. I hope than answer is shared and someone is prosecuted if there was wrong doing.


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You’re right about Tyrone Suggarfoot
Submitted by TyroneConfidential on Sat, 01/24/2009 - 11:01am.

The people need to know everything that’s not right in our Tyrone government and everyone who is responsible. Otherwise, the people keep electing those who don’t care.

It’s nothing short of a miracle that the GBI is investigating. Too long our State agencies have turned a deaf ear to our pleas. But the GBI investigation needs to be expanded into other financial areas.

The State needs to investigate the unconstitutional taking of property rights. I notice that our State Senator Ronnie Chance was named Vice-Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee. We all need to write Mr. Chance and ask him to do some oversight of his own hometown of Tyrone.

Most specifically to block any State & Federal grants and loans for Downtown Tyrone redevelopment that is predicated on a BOGUS redevelopment plan of an unscientific survey of citizens desires and the unconstitutional zoning law that took away property rights of all land owners, businesses and elderly disabled old ladies.

Our Senator Chance needs to follow-up with the Secretary of States’ Community Affairs Division on the Downtown Redevelopment in Tyrone like he said he was going to do two years ago when he was Chairman of the Oversight Committee.

Also, we need to ask our Senator to block any money going to Tyrone for Tax Allocation Districts (TADS) to finance downtown redevelopment through the use of property taxes that he voted for last year, until all the truth comes out in Tyrone.

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