Houston County DA will investigate allegations against ex-Washington County official
After a myriad of accusations made against the former solicitor general for Washington County, Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards has appointed to oversee an investigation, Edwards confirmed Friday.
Edwards was appointed by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia on Aug. 1 to oversee the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into Michael Howard, the former solicitor general of Washington County, who was accused of mishandling cases regarding those charged with driving under the influence, he told The Telegraph on Friday.
The district attorney said that his office would also handle potential prosecution in the case, depending on the results of the investigation.
What led to this?
Howard was accused by attorney Ben Sessions of wrongly dismissing lots of DUI cases, according to Facebook posts from Sessions.
Howard said in a statement on June 23 that the allegations on Simmons’ Facebook page were “outlandish” and were brought by Judge John Dana after he admitted to interviewing witnesses outside of court, which is a violation of the Georgia Rules of Judicial Conduct.
“In retaliation, Judge Dana has hired a lawyer to engage in a nonstop public smear campaign against me,” Howard said in the June 23 statement. “He is doing everything he can to intimidate the clients I represent outside of my public office, encouraging them to fire me.”
“Because I am a public official, I will not stoop to his level on social media,” Howard said.
However, Sessions told The Telegraph that he no longer represents Dana and his Facebook posts about the allegations have been “in my personal capacity and as a citizen that cares about public corruption.”
Though Dana was momentarily barred from presiding over criminal cases, Sessions confirmed that he has returned to the bench.
Howard eventually resigned as solicitor general, according to multiple media reports. His attorney, W. Matthew Wilson, has not responded to requests for comment before publication.
Edwards told The Telegraph that the investigation is ongoing and he does not have a timetable for when it will be completed.
