On Tuesday, Jared Williams, the district attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit, comprised of Richmond and Burke Counties, announced his intention to challenge the passage of Senate Bill 92, which allows for a state commission to investigate and remove elected prosecutors who fail to uphold the duties and obligations of their office, chiefly among them: their oath “to faithfully and impartially and without fear, favor, or affection discharge their duties as district attorney.”
Duties that include enforcing the law, not discarding it. Duties that require putting criminals behind bars, not leaving them on our streets. Duties that obligate office holders to uphold the oaths they swore to, not defile them.
In explaining his decision to join the suit, alongside four other Democrat district attorneys that include Stone Mountain’s Sherry Boston, Towaliga County’s Jonathan Adams, and Cobb County’s Flynn Broady, Williams stated, “I am suing to protect the voices of voters in our circuit. I am suing to ensure prosecutors can do their jobs without fear of reprisal from those with political agendas. I am suing because I swore to uphold the Constitution, and this law violates it.”
But what Williams seems to be either woefully confused or hellbent on being intentionally deceitful about is the intent of Senate Bill 92: it isn’t about preventing district attorneys from doing their jobs. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s about compelling them too.
As a Columbia countian, one might wonder why I find myself at all concerned about the actions of the Augusta district attorney. And for that, there are many reasons. One of them being empathy.
Prior to moving to Columbia County in the third grade, I resided in South Augusta where rampant crime and failing schools pushed my grandparents to relocate to Columbia County in search of better opportunities for their then 8-year-old grandson.
And thankfully my grandparents had the resources to make such a move. Not everyone does. Why should the residents of Augusta-Richmond County be forced to live in a community that puts criminals over public safety? And I say that not as conjecture. I say that as a matter of fact. The numbers prove it. In 2022, the number of homicides in Richmond County reached the total number of homicides in all of 2021 by October.
And if it isn’t numbers that sway you, how about instead the stories of preventable tragedies? For instance, the story of 6-month-old Samson Scott who was found dead after his parents Salena Tyler and Tyrone Scott were out on bond in a separate case related to the suspicious death of Samson’s infant sibling.
A preventable death, maybe, but Williams claimed he lacked evidence.
Another story: the death of 8-year-old Arbrie Anthony who lost her life in a drive-by shooting at the hands of a serial gang-banger, who Williams could have put away for a long time but again failed to find enough evidence.
And as a result, that gang-banger Antoine Redfield walked while Arbrie Anthony died – leaving behind a mother, father and a community that loved her.
Augustans deserve better than to live in a state of suspended terror where catering to criminals is given more of a priority than catering to the needs of law-abiding citizens.
But outside of empathy, I have another reason to care: as a Columbia countian, I live not too far from Augusta-Richmond County. And while I have more than enough faith in the exemplary leadership of Sheriff Clay Whittle and District Attorney Bobby Christine, it is an unavoidable fact that crime in Augusta most certainly impacts crime in Columbia County. And who knows when the next gang-banger that Jared Williams allows to roam free on the streets of the CSRA will bring his deviance to our home?
That is why I care and why I will do all I can to support anyone who might bring his disastrous tenure to an end.
If Jared Willams feels that his job as district attorney is in jeopardy due to a bill aimed at the removal of bad prosecutors, has it ever occurred to him to simply do a better job?
Or that his outrage at the bill is far more revealing than it is convincing?
But you know what they say, I suppose: a hit dog will holler.
C. J. Pearson is a conservative activist and commentator.
