Employees claim toxic work environment created by solicitor under GBI investigation
Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard has remained on the job despite a year-long GBI probe into alleged theft of victim relief funds.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - One year after the FOX 5 I-Team uncovered evidence of wrongful spending, the GBI wrapped up its criminal investigation into Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard.
It's now up to Attorney General Chris Carr's office to decide when — or if — to send the case to a grand jury.
The long investigation has put Woodard and her entire office in an unusual and awkward spot.
Imagine working that long for someone who the GBI has told a magistrate judge there is probable cause that she’s a thief?
The search warrant executed on Woodard last year asked for "receipts, financial records, notes, reimbursement records, checks, procurement card transaction records, documentation in case files to substantiate or disprove witness funds used by Woodard, bank account documents, credit card statements, the cellphone belonging to Stephanie Woodard… all information described above that constitutes fruits, evidence, and instrumentalities of violations of the below-described crimes involving Stephanie Woodard."
The warrant goes on to cite "stolen or embezzled property" as the crime being investigated.
Multiple employees tell the FOX 5 I-Team Stephanie Woodard has created a toxic work environment since the GBI investigation started. Some complained to the Hall County Human Resources office. Those complaints remain under investigation despite one be
The GBI probe began after the FOX 5 I-Team discovered thousands of dollars budgeted to help crime victims were instead spent by Woodard on herself or family members:
Expensive ear buds. Noise-reducing headphones. Pillows. Jewelry repair. Antique shopping sprees. And at least $7000 worth of meals for Woodard and her staff.
She even used public money to cover the cost of her dog's cremation. All of it classified in the books as spending for victims or witnesses.
"We've got the use of public money for personal benefit and arguably lying about it or at least trying to hide it at the bare minimum," observed Edward Queen, a government ethicist at the Emory Center For Ethics. "This kind of undermines people's entire trust in the political system."
Woodard paid back some of that money, claiming the misspending was "a mistake..." and wrote to the FOX 5 I-Team "this oversight is personally and professionally embarrassing."
She chose to stay on the job while the criminal investigation into her actions continued.
Stephanie Woodard once served on the Prosecuting Attorneys Council and has worked with Attorney General Chris Carr. His office must now decide whether to take her case of alleged theft to a grand jury.
And that has created another issue. Multiple employees described to the FOX 5 I-Team a toxic work environment created by Woodard since our investigation first aired. Two shared details of the official complaints that they sent to Hall County Human Resources Office. When we asked the county for all documents showing what action was taken, we were denied. The county's reason? Anything we asked for was still under investigation, even though one complaint was filed in February.
Our reporting not only showed Woodard misspending victim assistance funds, but she also double-dipped on expense reimbursements for attending the Prosecuting Attorneys Council Summer Conference, getting reimbursed by the county and the state for the same expenses.
She once served on that Council and is on a first-name basis with Attorney General Carr whose office will soon decide how to proceed with the now-concluded GBI report.
No grand jury date has been set.