Less than 24 hours after hiring former Gainesville Mayor Mark Musselwhite to serve as interim city manager, Demorest officials are addressing questions about his widely publicized arrest for public indecency 13 years ago.
On June 20, 2009, a DNR official and sheriff’s deputy arrested Musselwhite at a Rabun County campground. According to a report filed by the AJC at the time, Musselwhite was sitting at a campsite naked, holding a beer, when law enforcement questioned him about a complaint they’d received.
Musselwhite, then 43, told the officials “he was hot and had been in the creek,” the paper reported, citing an incident report filed with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Musselwhite was charged and booked at the Rabun County Detention Center. His arrest made national news. The case was quietly settled in Rabun County Superior Court in September 2009. According to the Rabun County Clerk of Court’s Office, Musselwhite forfeited his $500 cash bond on a charge of public drunkenness.
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Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness says the city council was aware of what he called “allegations” against Musselwhite when they hired him during a meeting on Thursday, December 8.
“I am not qualified to speak on any charges, any allegations, that were in the past. We were looking to the future, looking to his experience, and looking for an interim city manager we could bring in and continue the city business. That was what was important to us,” Harkness tells Now Habersham.
Pressed on whether the council researched the case against Musselwhite, Harkness says, “I was aware of some allegations. We did look into that.”
Mayor Harkness says Kim Simonds resigned from her position as city manager. Interim city clerk Megan Chastain says Simonds’ last day in the office was Thursday. Given the abrupt nature of her departure, Harkness says the council’s window was “very short to find someone to come in quick.”
“We had reached out to numerous different parties over a short period of time and came up with a couple of options, and he [Musselwhite] was the clear winner,” Harkness says.
Asked if Musselwhite would be considered as a candidate to succeed Simonds full-time, the mayor says, “I can’t speak for Mr. Musselwhite whether he would want to apply, but we would absolutely encourage that.”
Now Habersham has been unable to reach Musselwhite for comment. His first day on the job as Demorest’s interim city manager is Monday, December 12.
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