Jury selection moves forward in Douglas County officials' bid-rigging trial

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - Jury selection is moving forward in the trial of several Douglas County officials indicted on bid-rigging charges.

Suspended Douglas County Chairwoman Romona Jackson Jones, Commissioner Henry Mitchell and Tax Commissioner Greg Baker were among five people indicted in February 2023.

The criminal case centers around a 2018 contract to clean the Douglas County Tax Commissioner's Office and County Annex.

According to the indictment, a fourth defendant, Anthony Knight, missed the bid deadline, even though "the accused met and agreed to give the contract to S&A Express," Knight's company.

The contract was then put out for bid a second time, "the accused took sealed bids, opened and reviewed the bids, and added S&A Express in an amount that was exactly the same as the lowest bid..." according to the indictment.

MORE: 3 Douglas County candidates may not be eligible in November

Knight got the contract on a 3-2 vote with Jones and Mitchell voting yes.

Jones faces an additional count of making a false statement.

The GBI said she told them she had not signed the contract before commissioners approved the deal. The indictment said she did just that.

Romona Jackson Jones also read a statement to the FOX 5 I-Team saying, "Being falsely accused of something you didn't do is a complete betrayal of justice." She is scheduled to go to trial in August.

Following her indictment, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Jones. She’s since been temporarily replaced by retired sheriff Phil Miller.

Jones and Baker are running in November's election after winning their primaries in May. Baker ran unopposed and Jones defeated her challenger, Tarenia Carthan, with nearly 55% of the vote.

FOX 5's Randy Travis contributed to this report.