Macon officials approve paying $186,000 in law enforcement settlements

Macon-Bibb County will pay a total of $186,000 to settle cases involving former sheriff's deputies, including one accused of attempting to have sex with a 14-year-old.

On Tuesday, the County Commission approved settlements in cases of alleged improper conduct by deputies during the past two years.

The County Commission voted 7-0 in favor of the settlements. Commissioners Bert Bivins and Al Tillman did not attend Tuesday's meeting.

"We're not supposed to talk about the details other then they had their side, we had our sides and we decided to settle them," Mayor Robert Reichert said. A confidentiality agreement was part of the settlements, but The Telegraph previously reported on the incidents.

The largest settlement of $125,000 will go to the 14-year-old girl and her mother. Authorities say Deputy Kenneth Brown attempted to solicit sex from the girl in July 2014.

Brown allegedly went to the girl's apartment and asked to "buy some sex" while groping her, according to authorities. Another settlement amount of $36,000 will be given to Kerwin Williams, a neighbor of the teenager, who accused Brown of pointing a gun at him when he tried to help her.

Brown was indicted in October 2014 on two counts of aggravated assault, child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to court records.

Williams' attorney, David Ricks, declined to comment Tuesday, and efforts to reach James Lee II, the attorney for the family of the 14-year-old, were unsuccessful.

In another case, the county will pay Devasco Holly $25,000 after being kicked by Deputy Nathaniel Woodard while Holly was handcuffed on Aug. 10, 2014. Cell phone video shows Woodard kicking Holly.

According to authorities, Woodard kicked the 39-year-old in the chest on Brief Street during an arrest. Prosecutors later dropped the charges against Holly.

Charges of simple assault and violation of oath of office are pending against Woodard, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Efforts to reach Holly's attorney, Christopher Cohilas, also were unsuccessful.

Information from the Telegraph archives was used in this story. To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Macon officials approve paying $186,000 in law enforcement settlements ."