Convicts Pat Reid, Tony Pope Released from Jail

Nearly two weeks after an appeals court judge ruled a former husband and wife at the heart of a DeKalb County Schools construction scandal could be let out of jail, their release on bond has been secured.

WSB TV reports that Pat Reid and former husband Tony Pope were released on bond Wednesday while their case continues. Convicted in December 2013 for racketeering and theft, former DeKalb County Schools Chief Operating Officer Pat Reid and ex-husband and construction contractor Tony Pope respectively received sentences of 15 and eight years in prison.

Former Superintendent Crawford Lewis testified during the couple’s trial. Lewis was accused of approving a scheme in which Reid funneled work to her architect husband, Pope, the TV station says. Prosecutors said the fraudulent payments totaled more than $2.3 million.

After Judge Cynthia Becker questioned the truthfulness of Lewis’ testimony, he spent about a week in jail, despite a plea agreement that would allow him to avoid jail time and spend a year on probation.

Becker had ruled to overturn the pair’s charges and release them from custody on Oct. 27, and prosecutors submitted an emergency request to the appellate court to halt the action, says WSB-TV.

Becker, who is being investigated for her conduct in this trial, recently announced she plans to step down from her post on March 1, halfway through her four-year term. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Becker cites her upcoming wedding as the reason for her departure.

Her resignation will not impede the ethics investigation, however.

“The council will continue to consider and pursue the complaint, just like we would against any other judge,” Lester Tate, chairman of the Georgia Judicial Qualification Commission, told the AJC on Wednesday. “Nothing about her resignation has changed our procedures.”

Related Links:

• Judge’s Actions Questioned After Charges Reversed in DeKalb Schools Scandal
• DeKalb County Court Puts Hold on Release of Convicts from School Corruption Case
• Jury Selection Continues in DeKalb Schools Racketeering Case
• Convictions in DeKalb Schools Racketeering Trial Thrown Out
• Does Crawford Lewis Deserve Jail Time?