Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard faces panel review after indictment
Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard faces a 24-count indictment accusing her of using public funds for personal expenses. (Hall County Sheriff's Office)
ATLANTA - The fate of Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard could be decided by a three-person panel, which was appointed Friday by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Woodard was indicted earlier this year after a FOX 5 I-Team investigation. She faces 24 counts, including theft by taking and making false statements. The Georgia Attorney General's Office sought the indictments after she was accused of using taxpayer dollars for her own purpose.
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Gov. Kemp tapped Fulton County Solicitor Keith Gammage, Stephens County Solicitor Ann Pickett and retired Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton to consider if Woodard should be removed from office.
Woodard, a Republican, became Hall County's solicitor in 2008, prosecuting low-level crimes such as DUIs and simple battery. Now, she's defending herself against far more serious allegations that, while prosecuting misdemeanors, she committed felonies.
Hall County Solicitor indicted on multiple charges
Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard was indicted Tuesday afternoon on multiple charges of theft by taking and false statements. Woodard's 24-count indictment follows a year and half of investigations by the FOX 5 I-Team into her spending. She stands accused of using government funds as a personal piggy bank, but Woodard says, it's the state Attorney General's Office who's wasting taxpayer dollars by bringing a case against her.
The Hall County grand jury accused her of 13 counts of false statements and writings and 11 counts of theft by taking, all felonies. In total, she's accused of illegally taking nearly $4,200 from public coffers.
Marissa Goldberg and Drew Findling, who represent Woodard, pushed back on the charges. In a statement released earlier this year, they wrote:
"The decision by the Attorney General’s Office to institute charges against her in this absurd indictment is unfathomable and a waste of court time and taxpayer dollars. She absolutely committed no crime, but yet she has been viciously pursued by the GBI for years. They have harassed her family, including her children, during which time the agents were aware of ongoing severe health issues that they were facing."
Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard
The charges by the grand jury track closely with the FOX 5 I-Team's reporting. In fact, the indictment says the 2018 and 2019 crimes don't fall outside the statute of limitations because investigators didn't know about them until a date that matches the date of the I-Team's first story in 2022.
The panel is expected to return its recommendation to the governor within 14 days.