Search warrant: Hall County solicitor suspected of theft
Hall County Solicitor Stephanie Woodard remains on the job while the GBI investigates theft of victim/witness funds.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - GBI agents sought evidence of "stolen or embezzled property" when they served a search warrant on Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard in November.
The FOX 5 I-Team obtained a copy of the search warrant, executed after their reporting revealed how Woodard spent thousand of dollars of public funds on herself and family, money that was supposed to help witnesses or crime victims.
Instead, according to documents gathered through an Open Records Request, Woodard spent money on expensive ear buds, noise-reducing headphones, baseball caps for Governor Kemp’s reelection efforts, pillows, jewelry repair, antique shopping sprees and $7,000 worth of meals for Woodard and her staff.
She even used $190 in public money to pay for her dog’s cremation.
"If that’s for her personal dog, sounds like she owes the county some money and a whole bunch of other people a big apology," said Rick Farmer, the owner of Precious Memories, the company that handled the cremation.
Woodard did apologize, saying some of the items were "confused as victim expenses by mistake."
She reimbursed Hall County for some but not all the questionable charges.
GBI agents showed up unannounced at the Hall County Solicitor General's Office in November 2022.
In November, GBI agents showed up unannounced at her office. According to the search warrant, investigators wanted "court calendars, personal calendars of Stephanie Woodard…" along with "documentation in case files to substantiate or disprove witness funds used by Woodard, bank account documents, credit card statements, (and) the cellphone belonging to Stephanie Woodard…"
The warrant said the records were related to the potential crime of theft by taking and theft by conversion.
After months of ignoring questions, the FOX 5 I-Team decided to approach Woodard as she stood in a Hall County Courthouse hallway preparing for traffic court.
Was she worried about being indicted given the specificity of the search warrant?
"I can't talk to you," Woodard said. "I have to take care of this right now."
She declined to answer any questions about the case or arrange a better time to talk.
In an earlier statement, Woodard said her office "regularly provides financial support to victims that balances compassion with physical needs."
The FOX 5 I-Team filed an additional Open Records Request asking for all spending records from December and January, the months after the investigation first aired and after the GBI executed the search warrant.
Those records tell a different story.
According to the documents, Woodard barely used her Hall County purchase card at all. None in December and just three times in January.
That included twice at restaurants for her staff and once at a store to buy a mirror and wall plaque.
That receipt offered no explanation for its public purpose.
She is also accused of ignoring Georgia campaign finance laws for years.
But the Woodard case is just one more example of alleged prosecutorial misconduct now under scrutiny at the state capitol.
State Rep. Joseph Gullett supports setting up a state panel to oversee all solicitors and district attorneys in Georgia. His concern stems from former Paulding DA Dick Donovan who was indicted in 2021 over allegations of bribery.
"He suspended himself," complained Gullett. "He got paid until he got retirement. He took the deal."
Former Paulding County District Attorney Dick Donovan.
Donovan eventually pled guilty to a lesser charge and surrendered his law license. The Georgia State Bar regulates attorneys, but unlike for law enforcement officers, there is no regulatory board specifically overseeing prosecutors.
Gullett said the Hall County case is just the latest example.
"This is why we've got to do it," insisted Gullett. "I really don't like growing government if I can help it. When you don't have a good (prosecutor) and you don't have a good judicial system you... your community really suffers."
No word on how long the GBI investigation into Woodard's office will last. A spokesman would only say the probe is active and ongoing.