Grand Jury Presentments submitted for the September 2025 Term in Glynn County.

IN THE  SUPERIOR COURT  OF GLYNN  COUNTY STATE OF GEORGIA  IN RE: GRAND JURY PRESENTMENTS MARCH 2025  ORDER  The foregoing Presentments ofthe Glynn County Grand Jury, September 2025 Term, having been submitted in open court, let the same be laid upon the minutes ofthe Court, and let them be published in the legal organ for Glynn County as provided by law.  This 16th day of March, 2025.  /s/ Stephen G. Scarlett, SR. Chief Judge, Superior Courts Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  DOC# :2025-000530 FILED IN OFFICE 3/16/2025 3:44:00 PM BK :0AC38 PG :424-438 Rebecca Walden Clerk, Superior Court Glynn County, GA  GRAND JURY  PRESENTMENT SEPTEMBER 2025 TERM  Respectfully submitted to: The Honorable Stephen G. Scarlett Sr. Chief Judge, Superior Court Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  The Honorable  Anthony L. Harrison Judge, Superior Court Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  The Honorable Stephen D. Kelley Judge, Superior Court Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  The Honorable  Roger B. Lane Judge, Superior Court Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  The Honorable  Robert W. Guy Jr. Judge, Superior Court Brunswick  Judicial Circuit  GRAND JURY  GENERAL  PRESENTMENT  On September 08, 2025, the Honorable Stephen G. Scarlett, Sr., impaneled and administered the oath of office to the March 25 Term of the Grand Jury of Glynn County, Georgia. The Grand Jury consisted of the following twenty-six members:  1.Linda Archilbald, Foreperson 2. Otho Chip Plyler III, Vice-Foreperson 3.Walter F Ogelsby, Secretary 4. Felicia C. Salter 5. John William Harris 6. Martha Hawkins 7.Robert White 8.Kiran Patel 9.Carol Long  10.Kelly R. Lipthratt 11.Tahir Ktle Savasir  12.Daniel Hebner 13.Justin Adams 14.Lee Todd I5.Timothy Fischer 16.Lizaida Perez- Collazo 17. Melissa Jones 18. Alia M. Murray 19.Fred Scott Jackson 20.Shanda Johnson 21.Amy Owens 22.Judith Haulman 23. 24.Clinton Day  Alternate 1 25. Jimmy E. Drury,  Alternate 2  26.Wendy K. Mitchell Alternate 3  The members of the Grand Jury of the September 2025 Term of the Superior Court of Glynn County, Georgia, initially met on September 08th, 2025. We respectfully submit this report and presentations for the September 2025 Term.   The Honorable Stephen G. Scarlett, Sr., Chief Judge of the Superior Court, having qualified members to serve as grand jurors, instructed members to select officers for the March 2025 Term. The following jurors were selected as  officers:  Foreperson:  Linda Archilbald  Vice-Foreperson:  Otho Chip Plyler III  Secretary:  Walter F. Ogelsby  The appointed Bailiffs:  Bobbie Patrick,   The Foreperson, Grand Jury Members and Bailiffs were administered their respective oaths. The Chief Judge then charged the Grand Jury with the law concerning their duties and responsibilities. The Court adjourned to allow the District Attorney to meet with the Grand Jurors.  The Grand Jury received an orientation as to the civil and criminal duties and responsibilities of the Grand Jury by District Attorney Keith Higgins. Each Grand Juror was provided with a copy of the Grand Jury Handbook and were issued their courthouse entrance badges.  PRESENTMENT OF CASES FOR  INDICTMENT:   During the September 2025 Term of the Glynn County Grand Jury, a total of 145 cases were presented by the District Attorney's Office for criminal indictment. Of those 145 cases, a total of 457 counts were voted "True Bill" and 1 counts were voted "No Bill".  GRAND JURY  COMMITTEE INSPECTION REPORTS:  Superior Court Clerk Amy Owens  Martha Hawkins Melissa Jones  County Treasurer- Clinton Day ( Alternate Juror #1) Linda Archilbald- Foreperson Grand Jury  Probate Court F. Scott Jackson Jimmy Drury  GRAND JURY APPOINTMENT TO: GLYNN COUNTY JOINT WATER & SEWER CITIZEN COMMISSIONER POSITION  Vice-Foreperson Chip Plyler attended the published public Water & Sewer Commission meeting on November 12th, 701 H St at 0900hrs, The meeting ened early because no one came. No other information was given.  During the regular session of the Grand Jury on November 19th, Linda Archilbald, Foreperson Grand Jury, was charged to read each application submitted for Glynn County Joint Water & Sewer Commissioner Position. When she finished reading all three submissions she asked for input from her fellow jurors and they voted for Mike Fields. Accompanying this Presentment are the three submissions by applicants for the Commissioner Position.  Our committee: Amy Owens, Martha Hawkins, Judy Haulman, and Melissa Jones.   We toured the courthouse facility with The Clerk of Superior Court Rebecca Walden, who was sworn into office in 2023. She is responsible for the following  Magistrate Court, Court Record Management, Real Estate and Property Records, Jury Administration, Financial Oversight, Administrative Services, and Courtroom Duties.  We found out the Magistrate Court handles Civil claims, Domestic and Family Actions such as Divorces and Adoptions, Criminal Arrest Warrants, Bond Hearing, Country Ordinance Violations, Landlord Warrants, Garnishments, Foreclosures, and Misdemeanors. She and her colleagues are responsible for maintaining all of the records for felony criminal cases, domestic and family cases, and civil suits.   We found that the Real Estate and Property Records office handle all kinds of documents dealing with land transactions. They handle deeds, liens. Mortgages, and plates. Everything is online now, but many of the older customers have trouble doing the online process, so she and her staff are there to walk through the process. They also process passport applications as well.  Rebecca is responsible for managing and summoning the public for jury duty for both the State and Superior courts. She is also responsible for cutting the checks for jurors.  We found that the financial obligations she and her staff are responsible for are collecting and disbursing funds for child support payments, fines, and real estate transactions such as taxes.  We found that the Administrative Services they handle are issuing notary public commissions and recording military discharges.  She must attend court sessions, maintain calendars for the court, administer oaths, and she is resposible for reading the jury verdicts in cases.   After touring all these offices, they are bursting at the seams for space. The committee's recommendations are that they need additional office space added as well as more storage space to house all of the records they must maintain. Rebecca Walden definitely needs a raise!!!  County Treasurer  Inspection Report:   Fines & Forfeitures  Revenue   Glynn County, Georgia - Collection, Statutory  Distribution & Budgetary Use  Fines & Forfeitures  Fines and forfeitures are monetary penalties imposed through the judicial process. In Glynn County, these revenues are primarily generated through the court system, including:  Traffic citations Criminal and ordinance violations Court-assessed fines and penalties Bond forfeitures  Under the Georgia Uniform Chart of Accounts (UCOA), fines and forfeitures are classified as:  35 - Fines & Forfeitures  Court Collection & Statutory Dis tribution  Fines and forfeitures are primarily collected by the courts, not by individual departments. Once collected, funds are distributed according to Georgia law, which requires specific portions to be remitted to designated agencies or purposes before the County retains its share.  Depending on the type of case, statutory distributions may include, but are not limited to: State of Georgia funds Law enforcement training or retirement funds Prosecuting attorney or solicitor funds Crime victim assistance funds Judicial or court-related funds   Only the County's legally authorized portion of fines and forfeitures is retained and recorded as County revenue. These statutory distributions occur before revenues are available for County budgeting purposes.  3.How Fines & Forfeiture Revenue Is Accounted For   Once the County's share is received:  Revenue is deposited into the appropriate fund, most commonly the General Fund or a legally restricted special revenue fund. Fines and forfeitures are not directly tied to a specific expense in most cases. Revenues support the overall activities and legally permitted purposes of the fund into which they are deposited. Expenditures are authorized only through the adopted budget, not at the time the fine is collected.  There is generally no one-for-one relationship between an individual fine and an individual expenditure.  Budget Process & Fiscal Year  Glynn County operates on a fiscal year beginning in July and ending in June of the following calendar year.  FY25 budgets were adopted for July 2024 - June 2025. That fiscal year has concluded and is currently under audit by our external auditors. I have provided the FY25 revenue for your review. The County is currently operating under the FY26 budget, July 2025 -June 2026. I have also provided the FY26 revenue for your review.  Each year:  Fine and forfeiture revenues are estimated during budget development. The Board of Commissioners adopts a legally balanced budget. Spending authority is granted through appropriations by fund and department. Actual expenditures must remain within adopted appropriations.  PROBATE COURT  INSPECTION REPORT  Inspection of the Probate Court:  On Wednesday, the 28th of January 2026, a two-juror committee of the Glynn County Grand Jury made contact with the Probate Court Judge, Judge Lanier at the Probate Court office(s), 701 G Street, #1, Brunswick, Georgia ("The Old County Courthouse"). This was after an initial contact on January 14th, announcing the requirement of the "periodic inspection", whereupon this appointment was made.  Judge Lanier gave a briefing of the duty and responsibilities of the Probate Court. The Probate Court is responsible and involved in a number of official activities including wills, estates, trusts, mental health matters ("10-13" orders or more recently renamed, Orders To Apprehend/Arrest for mental eval (OTA), guardianships (for both minors and incapacitated adults), storage of original wills, issuing marriage and firearm licenses (and certification process that goes along with the firearms carry certification - fingerprinting, photographing and background checks of applicants). The Probate Court also ensures the legal transfer of a deceased person's property, validates wills and settles estate debts.  Judge Lanier further advised us of even more responsibility in the near future due to the US Census of 2030. The present county population is approximately 84,500 residents and the Judge stated with the new Census, she is positive Glynn County's population will rise above 90,000 residents. Which is the threshold to place her court as an Article VI type court, where her office will have concurrent jurisdiction, as with the Superior Court. With Art. VI responsibility, the Glynn County Probate Court will have jury trials/hearings and the State Appellate Court will entertain any appeals. At present, the Probate Court has "appeals" to decisions Judge Lanier and her Associate Judge, Judge Duncan make, taken to the county Superior Court, to be heard.  Judge Lanier led the inspecting jurors on a tour of her office(s) which is housed in the "Old County Courthouse" and comprised of approximately three quarters of the ground floor (with the remaining one quarter occupied by The Office of Dispute Resolution Program (and mediation) (ODR), with the Hon. Judge J. R. Tuten, Jr., as the Program Director. Although, there is a vault area in this office which the Probate Court uses.  During the tour, there was an issue with a camera being used for photographing firearms cert applicants. Also, the fingerprinting is accomplished in another room where the equipment appeared to be balanced on a cabinet, due to space allowances. It is thought with technology as it is today, these requirements to the certification process for weapons carry, could be handled more efficiently and with better quality equipment.  There were several very antiquated walk-in vaults/safes where the Probate Court stores very sensitive and one-off documents, one of which was secured with a barrel bolt gate latch and a padlock, as opposed to the door spin dial combination lock. These vaults are located in several different areas of the ground floor of the building. There were several persons depositing their original documents with the Probate Court, during the inspection.   All of the vaults are woefully under designed and inadequate, for present usage, with flimsy, warped, narrow shelving and are expected to be fireproof, with wooden shelves inside. There were sprinkler heads in the vaults that were partially blocked, due to very limited space for storage of official documents. Some of which date back to the origination of Glynn County, Georgia in the mid 1700's.Some of these documents, which are contained in very large leather and cloth bound ledger type books with delicate page upon page of cursive hand writing, are in the process of being restored at a cost of approx. $4000.00 per.  Some of the office space area was linked via warren type close and narrow hallways and individual office space was accomplished with partitions, as opposed to modem adequate office furniture. The Judge stated there were occasional opportunities to acquire used office furniture from the local Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), when the Center upgraded their furniture. However, it seems to be, "first- come, first-served" type of acquisitions.  The area where hearings are conducted today used to be a small court room, as one may imagine a court room. The area was converted however, by Glynn County to an office space for the county and the Probate Court was to "make do", accordingly.  At present, the room resembles a quasi-conference room with the Judges desk slightly elevated on a bare plywood platform at one end of a long table with chairs on both sides (a portion of the Judges desk fell apart while Juror inspectors were present- it is apparently glued in place as a makeshift repair).  There is nowhere for witnesses to make testimony, except at the table and also very limited room for additional participants. The matters of the Probate Court can become contested and heated and often do and the room offers very little in the form of participant security, as they are all sitting right next to each other. The present room offers little to no decorum, presence of authority and confidence in the Office of the Probate Court, or security for participants and the Judges themselves.  There are "panic buttons" in several of the rooms where the public has direct access to the Court employees/Judges. The most recent test of the panic buttons was conducted by Judge Lanier and the designated Glynn County Sheriff's Department Deputy who handles security for the courts. The panic button is simply a button that is pushed, similar to a door bell which is monitored at a facility in the mid-west United States(?). On this test occasion, the monitoring facility received the "panic alarm" and contacted the Brunswick Police Department since the address of the alarm is "Brunswick, Georgia". The call then ended up at the local Glynn County E-911 Center, where the BPD dispatcher advised the County Police dispatcher of the "alarm".  The GCPD dispatcher then advised the GCSD dispatcher of the "alarm", who notified the Deputy of the "alarm". The duration of time for the notification(s) (with no Police/Security response enroute yet) was approx. 4 minutes.....and the panic button in the judges hearing roommalfunctioned and did not reset.   A Glynn County Facilities Maintenance person was called to the scene to assess the issue. The button was eventually pried back into position and the test carried on of the other panic buttons, with similar results - the buttons all had to cajoled back into position for the next activation, by the maintenance person. The Judge stated she inquired as to the length of the contact of the alarm activation and was told that this length of time was normal (this is all before any security or Police Officer has been dispatched, which would result in another response time frame). The maintenance person was noted as stating that 4 minutes was too long. Seems this could be accomplished locally and tied into the existing law enforcement radio system, for example, with immediate contact results.  With today's technology and frequency of public intrusions into business and government space and activities, this is inadequate and a seemingly "wait and see" attitude - it is frankly, alarming.  There have been protests and near riots, where even police vehicles were damaged and burned, right here in Glynn County. An intrusion into a courtroom or accosting of a Judge or any public official for that matter, does not seem far-fetched.  Another matter pointed out was security cameras. There is apparently some video coverage on the exterior of the building, but not nearly adequate and little to no video coverage on the interior of the building. The judge states she had brought this to the attention of the security personnel and was advised nobody wanted to drill holes in the "Old Courthouse" walls for cameras. This is an absurdity, as with today's technology, cameras could easily be piggy-backed off of existing ceiling mounted smoke detectors, drop ceiling features, hanging lighting, conduit lines, etc. The Judge had remarked to the security personnel that she wasn't interested in, "$5000 cameras, just like a ring type camera would be better than nothing". Just something so that the security officer near the entrance door can see different locations in the building. Which at present he is completely blind to and would have to be summoned, in the event he was needed. There have been encounters there at the Probate Court with angry citizens over decisions made by the Court, so the possibility is there for trouble to arise.  It would be a good idea for the security personnel to move around the offices periodically. With a "chime" feature on the entrance door - this would seem to be able to be accomplished easily.  At present, the existing security features are some exterior video view monitored at the entrance door security station and at the main courthouse security station, exterior doors/entrances are secured and can only be opened from the inside, a glass partition controlling access to the main area of the Probate Court offices/Judges' offices and the weapons carry certification areas. The mediation office (ODR) is also behind this last controlled area.  However, the public has authorized access to portions of the records maintained in at least two different areas of the offices and even are provided with an area where they can set and research on the web, if necessary. This is allowed by law and persons are not searched or metal detected, as at the main courthouse. There are also panic buttons, which historically may or may not work, there is a seated security officer at the only entrance door, who is actually a Deputy Sheriff or possibly a part-time retired officer or someone with a law enforcement background.   The Judge noted in the past, there were times when there was no security and when questioned, there was no one available to man the position. The security had become almost random (which seemed to coincide with other happenings in the county, such as "RSM Classic" and "Frat Beach" ... ). Since the beginning of the year (01/01/2026) however, the Judge stated there had been someone there every day.  Prior to hearings, the Judge can get a "feel for the attitude of the room" and may or may not request a Deputy Sheriff or other security officer to attend the hearing, as security. There is presently not routine security for the hearings...  Once the tour was completed, the Judge took us to the hearing room where there were three years of receipts/deposits located, for the inspector's review. The Judge explained the paperwork showed transactions concerning the applicable fees received and then deposited. The Judge remarked there had been only one episode of a shortage ($10.00) and it turned out to be a math mistake. There is no record of any mishandling of funds and the Judge alluded that there were too many eyes on the transactions, to ever be any issues. She stated she is completely confident in her office staff and does not foresee any problems, along these lines. As a side note here, the deposits were in the past made by the office staff in their private vehicles, as the Probate Court has no vehicle. The security aspect of this concerned the Judge and she had asked the Sheriff's Department if they could handle the deposits, as this is done with other county offices. The Sheriff's Department obliged the Judge and now handles their deposits for them. When asked about an office vehicle, the Judge stated they didn't have one and really had no need for one. They have travel compensation for staff to go to training and use their private vehicles and there was no need for local travel to necessitate a county assigned vehicle.  The inspectors took random sheets from the three years of printed out documents, reviewed them and saw no issues or irregularities. There is an additional area of the inspection concerning the financial side. That is the annual audit which is conducted by the Glynn County Finance Department. This is not complete and the Judge offered a URL address where the information could be viewed, if needed. The URL address is:https://w\.-.rw.gly1111eol1nty.org/goven1rnr11l'lr.lPpc1rtme11tslfi11ance/an11ual-comDrehensiv!!-finarn:jfll:reports A check of the address indicated the years 2025 is not yet completed/posted.  The remedy here for all the shortcomings observed and noted, would seem to be a concerted effort on the different departments concerned of Glynn County, to personally meet with the Probate Judge(s) and address the particular deficiencies with them. These departments should be the County Commissioners office to be made wholly and fully aware of the issues, the County Administrators office to have an overall view of the matter, Human Resources department concerning near future new hires, Sheriff's department concerning security fixes, IT department concerning the allocation of audio/video/remote security alarm resources and immediate installation (a previous request for new phones was made, approved and purchased - the new phones took three years to install....), Facilities Maintenance department to construct a new courtroom area in place of the existing one - complete with jury box and adequate seating for all concerned. All this, along with upgraded and more efficient office furniture and equipment, including adjustable metal shelving and or fireproof cabinets for the vaults. The Probate Court staff and Judges should be consulted directly in this, as they will know what works for their business activities and what doesn't.  Additionally, some space acquirement could be accomplished if the Probate Court occupied the entire ground floor of "The Old County Courthouse". Ideally, a new construction would probably accomplish everything needed, possibly in the area of the lot where the County Jail was previously located. Any such building plans should have the Probate Court in mind, collaborating with the Probate Court Judge(s) as to design and necessity of much needed and updated space.  Despite all, we found the Probate Court staff and Judges Lanier and Duncan to be very confident in their roles and dedicated to their work mission.# their roles and dedicated to their work mission.   Respectfully submitted this 9th day of March, 2026  Linda Archibald Foreperson /s/ Linda Archibald  Otho Chip Plyler III Vice-Foreperson /s/ Otho Plyler III  Walter F. Ogelsby  Secretary  /s/ Walter F. Ogelsby  Felicia C. Salter /s/   John William Harris /s/ John William Harris  Martha Hawkins /s/ Martha Hawkins  Robert White /s/ Robert White  Kiran Patel /s/ Kiran Patel  Carol Long /s/ Carol Long  Kelly R. Lipthratt /s/___________  Tahir Kyle Savasir /s/ T. Savasir  Daniel Hebner /s/ Daniel Hebner  Justin Adams /s/ Justin Adams  Lee Todd /s/   Timothy Eischer /s/Timothy Eischer  Lizaida Perez-Collanzo /s/ Lizaida Perez-Callanzo  Melissa Jones /s/ Melissa Jones  Alia M Murray /s/ Alia Murray  Fred Scott Jackson /s/ Fred Scott Jackson  Shanda Johnson /s/ Shanda Johnson  Amy Owens /s/ Amy Owens  Judith Haulman /s/ Judith Haulman  Richard Daneel  Dismissed-Moved out of County*  Clinton Day, Alternate #1 /s/ Clinton Day  Jimmy E. Drury,  Alternate #2 Jimmy E Drury  Wendy K. Mitchell, Alternate #3 /s/ Wendy K. Mitchell