MACON, Ga. — Bibb District Attorney David Cooke has requested a special prosecutor in a multi-county gambling and racketeering case.
Last week, Cooke’s office announced that 16 people had been indicted in a case his office has been investigating for well over a year.
On Tuesday, he sent out a news release that says he’s requesting a special prosecutor due to concerns he’s heard about the case.
“In light of the concerns raised in the past week about this case, and considering my ethical duty as district attorney, I have disqualified the Macon Judicial Circuit from prosecuting it,” Cooke said. “An independent prosecutor appointed from outside the jurisdiction will help ensure public confidence that this case is handled fairly and objectively.”
The Georgia Attorney General’s Office will now appoint a special prosecutor.
Bibb DA-elect Anita Howard sent the following statement to 13WMAZ when asked about Cooke's announcement:
"In defeated D.A. Cooke's final 16 days in office we can see that local politics is influenced by our national leader’s behavior to create a false narrative. I know and still believe that we live in the greatest nation on earth. I am confident that democracy will prevail in the Macon Judicial Circuit as it has recently on a national level regardless of those that recklessly try to obstruct it. I again thank the citizens who overwhelmingly voted with confidence and conviction that I would put the people of the Macon Judicial Circuit safety and security as the main priority of this office. I will repeat what I previously said, no one is above the law and we will administer justice according to our oath and the laws of the State of Georgia."
BACKGROUND
Business owners from the Macon, Savannah and Statesboro area were indicted by a Bibb County grand jury last week.
Among those indicted were a former Georgia Department of Revenue agent, a former Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office captain and a former Bibb County deputy.
Campaign contribution reports say that at least five of the 16 people that were indicted in the investigation donated to Bibb DA-elect Anita Howard’s campaign.
Howard’s staff emailed the following statement when 13WMAZ reached out to her:
"As the new District Attorney of the Macon Judicial Circuit, I will uphold the law and administer justice fairly and equitably for all. No one is above the law. The primary concerns this community has evidenced continue to be ignored and the outcries have fallen on deaf ears. This community is in a crisis that has resulted in young adults like Jhacaya Mann, a 22 year old mother of 2, being gunned downed in our streets, and families continuing to be torn apart. I will be a District Attorney that reflects this community and addresses its needs. I join with Coroner Leon Jones, other elected officials, faith based leaders, and this community in the call to cease this violence that is breaking our community apart."
13WMAZ then spoke to legal experts and asked them if her accepting campaign contributions from crime suspects was legal or ethical. They said it was both legal and not an ethical violation.
Bibb DA-elect Anita Reynolds Howard was sworn in Saturday, but will not officially take office until Jan. 2021.
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