(Homer, GA) – On June 2, 2016, Samuel Elias Skelton, age 32, former Assistant District Attorney with the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, was indicted on thirty-three (33) counts of theft by taking. The indictment was issued upon the conclusion of a criminal investigation conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation which began in August 2015.
The case originated because the Banks County Sheriff’s Office discovered irregularities in their evidence room involving Skelton. As a result of those findings, Sheriff Carlton Speed met with District Attorney Brad Smith and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested to investigate.
The investigation uncovered thefts of court fines and fees by former ADA Skelton.
Skelton turned himself in to the Banks County Sheriff’s Office on June 9, 2016. He posted bond and was released from the Banks County Jail. A special prosecutor has been assigned from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council at the request of the state Attorney General.
