Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney, Mark Jones was charged with; attempted perjury, attempting to violate and violating his oath, offering bribes to prosecutors, influencing testimonies, and preventing a crime victim’s testimony.

Prosecutors do it all of the time so how did this one get caught? Apparently, crime victim Chris Bailey was able to find a way after “not being assisted through the complexities of the criminal justice system”, the indictment states. Sounds simple enough, but that happens every day all over the United States too.

Jurors were unanimous on 3 of 9 charges but the suspended D.A. pled guilty to 4 counts in exchange for his 4 of his 5-year sentence to be served on probation and a $1,000 fine, Gee Whiz. No more bribing and lying in the courtroom for 5 years. He submitted his resignation letter to Governor Brian Kemp.

“You didn’t line your own pockets. You didn’t do some of the things that normally are involved when we think of public corruption. But I think you got so caught up in being the DA that you forgot about the people you ran to represent,” The judge said.

Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden had Jones taken into custody immediately, denying his request to turn himself in on Friday. Acting District Attorney Sheneka Terry will continue to the role. The judge noted that the corruption case against Jones was different from some others.

“It is important for the citizens of Georgia to know that our office will not hesitate to enforce the rule of law, including when it involves the actions of a public official,” Attorney General Chris Carr said.

Jones was captured on a body camera meeting a homicide detective outside a downtown Columbus bar and saying to the officer that the suspect should have been charged with murder instead of involuntary manslaughter.

“When I watched that body cam video, all I could think was, this does not make people trust the system.  Justice does not mean winning at any cost. If it becomes that, then we have much bigger problems than the criminal justice system has already, and we can’t afford to let that happen”, Lumsden told Jones. “

Two prosecutors testified that Jones had offered them $1,000; offering one to pay to secure a murder conviction, and the other to pay to say a case was ready for trial when it wasn’t.

It sounds as though the district attorney got a big ahead after becoming the D.A. and bullied officers and other district attorneys until they decided to stop it. His place in office did not last long. As for the rest of us commoners maybe we need to start wearing body cameras of our own to stop the bullying and lying, but wait! They don’t allow people to walk around recording them and they will confiscate those if they catch you.

Minding Hearts is building advocacy and peer support groups, “Hearts and Minds” in each state. The groups are created to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for those that might not otherwise be heard. We are here for encouragement, education, and support. We cannot give legal advice, but we can try and direct you in the right direction with your case. Links to legal services are listed with their states. Please share and let’s grow our groups. We are here to support families and develop resources that maintain family integrity. We look forward to your support. If you would rather become active by donating, then visit the donation page. Thank you.