Lawsuit, allegations against Washington County officials: 6 things to know
An attorney has frequently taken to Facebook to allege that the former Washington County solicitor general has been mishandling misdemeanor cases by wrongly dismissing DUIs.
That same attorney filed a lawsuit in federal court this week, alleging the solicitor general was part of a conspiracy to benefit from his scheme with other individuals.
Michael Howard, the former solicitor general, Sheriff Joel Cochran, attorney Johnny Vines, and others were accused Tuesday of participating in an alleged corrupt scheme in which they would profit on tossing out DUI cases, even if sufficient evidence existed to convict defendants of the charge, according to the lawsuit.
Though Stanley Barfield, a Washington County resident, is the plaintiff in the lawsuit, his attorney, Ben Sessions, used his Facebook page to share multiple examples of Howard’s alleged wrongful dismissal cases. The allegations sparked an investigation from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards was appointed to oversee.
Here are five key takeaways from The Telegraph’s reporting:
How did the alleged scheme work? The lawsuit claims that the defendants, who were booked into jail for a DUI charge, would wind up with Vines as their lawyer. The defendants would then have to pay substantial legal fees, ranging from a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars, the lawsuit alleges. After Howard would close their cases, he, Cochran, and Vines would split the money between them, according to the lawsuit.
Who are all of the people sued in the lawsuit, and why? Apart from the allegations of conspiring and operating a corrupt scheme between Howard, Cochran, and Vines, five other defendants, including Washington County, are being sued. Ryan Hodges is being sued for allegedly benefiting from the scheme as one of the people who had their DUI charges dismissed.
Deputy David Raley and Richard Hodges, Ryan Hodges’ father, are being sued for allegedly not punishing Ryan Hodges for his DUI charges, the lawsuit says. Jason Prince is being sued for battery after he and Ryan Hodges allegedly got involved in a fight with Barfield.
Why is Barfield involved? Barfield is suing because he had been allegedly attacked by Ryan Hodges and Jason Prince on May 26, 2024, which caused him significant injuries. Sessions argues in the lawsuit that Barfield would not have been hurt if Ryan Hodges had been properly punished for his previous DUIs, which could have resulted in him controlling his alcohol intake. Instead, the lack of prosecution enabled further illegal behavior, the lawsuit alleges.
An alleged pattern in the scheme: The lawsuit described a pattern where defendants represented by Vines regularly had charges dropped or were cited as completing diversion programs, often without evidence of completion. On the other hand, those who weren’t represented by Vines did not receive similar treatment.
Washington County’s role in the alleged scheme: Officials for Washington County were accused of failing to investigate, train, or prevent the alleged scheme. Howard, Cochran and Vines had allegedly been operating the scheme for about three years, according to the lawsuit.
What are the accused saying? Most defendants have not responded to requests for comment, but an attorney for Howard issued a statement Thursday.
“This suit is just the latest in a six-month long retaliation campaign waged by Ben Sessions against Michael Howard,” W. Matthew Wilson, attorney for Howard, said. “It is completely frivolous, and we expect it won’t take long for the court to recognize that and take appropriate action.”
An AI tool assisted with compiling and summarizing the takeaways in this story, using original reporting from The Telegraph. The story was then edited by Telegraph journalists.
