Atlanta Unfiltered

Oct. 2, 2013 — All expense records for state Sen. Don Balfour will be withheld from public view until a related criminal prosecution has concluded, Legislative Counsel Wayne Allen said today.

Eight years after the fact, former Fulton County Sheriff Jacqueline Barrett is off the hook for accepting $40,000 in illegal campaign contributions that played a part in her removal from office. The Georgia Campaign Finance Commission, acknowledging procedural errors, dismissed a complaint over the donations, which were associated with a shaky $7.2 million investment made with money under her control.

Chris Mathis, the elected chief magistrate of Floyd County, today queued up in the lengthening line of Georgia judges who have resigned while under investigation for misconduct. He reportedly stepped down after meeting with Richard Hyde, investigator for the state Judicial Qualifications Commission.

Fired DeKalb police chief Terrell Bolton’s explanation for keeping two seized luxury cars at home in his garage is “absurd,” the county’s district attorney says. Police handling of the two cars might also have violated state law, DA Gwen Keyes Fleming wrote in a March 24 letter. But she said it would not warrant criminal prosecution.

Should Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington discipline officers who won’t cooperate with a citizen oversight board? We may find out next week, when board members sit down to hash things out with Pennington and Mayor Shirley Franklin.