Attorney to list embezzlement charges

Announcement will be made by Tuesday on possible criminal allegations against Tiedemans

Web posted July 27, 1998

By S.B. Crawford
Columbia County Bureau

District Attorney Danny Craig is finally ready to play his cards.

According to Mr. Craig, he will issue a criminal accusation no later than Tuesday that will spell out the charges he will pursue against Pat and Harvey Tiedeman.

He declined, however, to say whether one or both Tiedemans would be charged in connection with the alleged misuse of $180,000 of Columbia County's Volunteer Rescue Squad funds.

``The accusation is one that reflects the progress of the prosecution at this time,'' Mr. Craig said.

Mrs. Tiedeman, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, and Mr. Tiedeman, a member of the volunteer rescue squad, have been under investigation by state law enforcement officials since March, when questions over certain rescue fund expenditures were raised.

As EMA Director, Mrs. Tiedeman controlled both county dollars used in the EMA department and noncounty dollars used to fund the rescue unit. Most rescue unit money is raised privately through fundraisers and donations.

An internal audit in March found no misuse of county EMA funds, but Mrs. Tiedeman was still placed on administrative leave March 27, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation examined ten years of rescue unit financial records, focusing on $180,000 of suspicious expenditures.

Completing the investigation this month, the GBI forwarded a report to Mr. Craig's office July 16, after which Mr. Craig announced he would pursue criminal charges.

But recently, concerned Columbia County officials, such as Mrs. Tiedeman's supervisor, Community and Emergency Services Director Rusty Wade, have expressed dismay over the lack of information being released in the four-month-old investigation.

Mr. Wade said he had hoped Mr. Craig would at least release a copy of the GBI report, which county officials have yet to see.

But Mr. Craig said it may be a while before the report is made available.

``I'm not offended at all that they're asking for information. They need information,'' he said. ``But in criminal cases, the release of some information (can) compromise your ability to prosecute the case.''