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Gravel suspect says charges selective

Web posted May 2, 1998

By Sylvia Cooper
Staff Writer

The only person to be fired and indicted for putting city-owned gravel on the driveway of the fiancee of the Richmond County landfill director says he has been singled out for prosecution.

Robert ``Rob'' Watson contends Richmond County District Attorney Danny Craig is engaging in selective prosecution, according to one of three motions filed in Superior Court on Thursday by his attorney, Joe Neal Jr.

The motion asks the court to dismiss charges against Mr. Watson of felony theft and making false statements.

It states that Mr. Watson was only doing what his supervisor, landfill director David Smith, told him to do when he delivered the gravel on a city front-end loader to Shawn Hargis' driveway near the landfill.

Mr. Watson had no criminal intent and received no personal benefit from following Mr. Smith's orders, the motion states.

In addition, Mr. Smith, whose idea it was to put gravel in his fiancee's driveway and who failed to cooperate with authorities by refusing to submit to a polygraph in violation of county policy, has not been prosecuted, Mr. Watson contends.

Mr. Smith said he refused to take the test when the sheriff's department requested it because it was part of a criminal investigation, and his lawyer advised him against it. He later took a test when asked to by city administrators. The results of the GBI-administered test were inconclusive.

Mr. Smith has since been reassigned to the roads and bridges division of public works.

Allegations against Mr. Watson were made a week after the Oct. 3 delivery by ``disgruntled employee'' Robin Auldridge after Mr. Auldridge was suspended and recommended for dismissal for sleeping on the job in the same front-end loader.

Mr. Watson said Mr. Auldridge was so sound asleep he didn't wake up when a ``loud horn on a big truck sounded.'' He still did not wake up until his supervisor went up to him and aroused him.

Mr. Auldridge was also suspended for sleeping on the job the previous month, the motion states.

Mr. Auldridge's ``politically connected wife, Deborah Auldridge, sister of Commissioner J.B. Powell,'' arranged a meeting for him with City Administrator Randy Oliver and Equal Opportunity Officer Brenda Byrd-Pelaez to discuss his suspension, the motion states.

During that interview, the Auldridges tried to get Mr. Oliver to help Mr. Auldridge with his suspension and keep his job.

Finally, when it was apparent to Mr. Auldridge that Mr. Oliver would provide no political favor, he brought up the allegations concerning the defendant, the motion states.

Mr. Watson also contends the Richmond County Sheriff's Department exceeded its lawful authority by initiating a criminal investigation of Mr. Watson without sufficient evidence that he had committed a crime and by interfering with an investigation by Mr. Oliver into landfill operations.

He also accuses Mr. Craig of prosecutorial misconduct for making public 13 volumes of an investigative report about the case by filing copies in the clerk's office.

He says by releasing information to the media indirectly through the clerk's office and by making prejudicial comments to the media, Mr. Craig has hampered his right to a fair trial.