>> GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
The Baldwin County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office is under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, according to Mary Chandler, special agent in charge of the GBI Region 6 office in Milledgeville.
The GBI Office of Special Investigations (OSI) received a request from Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Wright Barksdale “to initiate a criminal investigation into allegations that the Baldwin County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office inappropriately filed, did not file and altered government and judicial documents,” Chandler said in an email.
The GBI OSI is being assisted by the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Milledgeville, she added.
Baldwin County Clerk of Superior Court Mitch Longino was elected and took office Jan.1, 2016. Longino served as deputy clerk for eight years followed by 13 years as chief deputy clerk before being elected by voters in 2016 to take over the clerk position vacated by the retirement of Rosemary Ivey Fordham Phillips.
It is not known if the investigation centers around Longino or the entire clerk’s office, or how far back the probe will go.
“When the investigation is complete, the investigative file will be turned over to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office for consultation and review,” Chandler said.