A judge in Chatham County will preside over the ethics case involving Waycross District 3 Commissioner Katrena Felder.
Brian Joseph “Joe” Huffman, Jr., Chief Judge of the Chatham County Recorder’s Court, will hear the proceeding in Waycross Municipal Court involving the complaint brought by Waycross citizen Clayton Nelson against Felder.
Huffman informed the city in an order dated April 18 he had appointed himself to hear the action, which charges Felder of improperly using her city-issued credit card and also attending a partisan event, which is prohibited for city commissioners.
Interim City Attorney Huey Spearman released Huffman’s order to the city last week.
The decision follows recusals by Municipal Court Judge Douglas Gibson, Judge Pro Tempore Adrienne Gibson and Solicitor Joseph Johnson in the case.
Each cited their appointments and existing contracts with the city to conduct the court’s business as the reason.
Douglas Gibson subsequently petitioned Huffman, District 1 Representative for the Council of Municipal Court Judges, to name someone to preside over the case.
At the same time, Johnson looked to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council for a path toward selecting his replacement. When neither said they held jurisdiction for that, Spearman wrote to the State Bar of Georgia for direction.
The State Bar agreed with Spearman’s opinion on the matter that whomever is named to hear the case should appoint the prosecutor. Huffman has yet to make that appointment or determine the case’s place on the docket.
Huffman
Nelson filed his complaint September 2, 2024, with City Clerk Jackie Powell. The commission empaneled a citizen ethics board to hear the case, and after nearly a dozen meetings and hearings to consider the complaint, voted 3-2 for violations having occurred.
The group voted December 13, 2024 by the same split to recommend the penalty of prosecution to the commission. Shawn Taylor, chairman of the Ethics Board, delivered the recommendation to commissioners December 16, 2024.
The commission accepted the board’s recommendation and an addendum from Commissioner Alvin Nelson by a 3-1 vote January 7, 2025. Nelson added the request of Waycross Police Chief Tommy Cox notifying the GBI to examine the evidence, including all credit card transactions (by Felder) in the last three years to validate and determine if any criminal actions had occurred.
In addition to Nelson, Commissioners Shawn Roberts and Sheinita Bennett voted to accept the recommendation and addition while late Commissioner Diane Hopkins voted against. Felder, by rule, didn’t take part in the vote.
