Douglas County jurors in bid rigging trial handed ‘inappropriate’ flyers

Several Douglas County leaders are accused of corruption, but these three commissioners say they have done nothing wrong.

Jurors in a bid rigging trial were handed what the judge called “inappropriate” flyers. Those handouts were for an event hosted by one of the defendants.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones was in Court in Douglas County Thursday where the judge said that’s not allowed.

Chief Judge William Beau McClain says the jurors were handed flyers and they were shown on video in the jury assembly room. This could have derailed this trial, but it didn’t.

The flyer advertised a community forum that included one of the defendants, Douglas County Tax Commissioner Greg Baker.

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McClain said he found it inappropriate.

“No disrespect to Mr. Baker but he’s on trial and jurors don’t need to be handed brochures of his activity,” McClain said.

The posters were taken down.

Baker, Chairwoman Ramona Jackson Jones, County Commissioner Henry Mitchell and business owner Anthony Knight are accused of rigging a janitorial contract so that Knight could get it.

Prosecutors say Knight got the contract even though he didn’t submit it in time

Former property maintenance superintendent Gail Moody testified usually no one ever asks to see the bid quotes she collected and kept secret.

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Baker’s attorney said he was new to the process and said Woody told a lie to police that Baker was related to Knight.

As for those flyers, the judge said it was very bad judgement on the part of the clerk.

He also admonished jurors to not discuss the trial after hearing a juror’s daughter tried to discuss it with him, and then sent him a link about the trial.

Testimony resumes Friday.

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