SUMMERVILLE — A Chattooga County grand jury indicted suspended Chattooga County State Court Judge Carlton Vines on Friday afternoon in connection with a voter fraud investigation.
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Vines was indicted on charges of illegal possession of ballots, conspiracy to commit election fraud and false swearing. He was released on his own recognizance.
Officials with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s office and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council have declined to comment about the investigation, which began in late 2006 following the November general election.
Absentee ballots decided a close race for State Court judge in that election. Vines beat incumbent Sam Finster by 125 votes. Finster won the ballot box 2,119 votes to 1,943, but lost the absentee vote 336 to 637.
Summerville attorney Bobby Lee Cook, who said he is representing Vines, said “there is no contention that anyone voted other than what they intended. There is no contention any ballot was altered.”
The Judicial Qualifications Committee suspended Vines with pay from the bench indefinitely last year after he was arrested on charges of drunk driving.
Chattooga County Commissioner Mike Dawson said in a May 2008 interview that the county has continued paying Vines his salary of $1,807.36 every two weeks.
Juvenile Court Judge Jerry Westbrook is serving in Vines’ place.
The State Court judge’s seat has been a source of controversy since 2004, when Vines stepped down to run for solicitor general and Albert Palmour, the solicitor, stepped down to run for the bench.
Gov. Sonny Perdue took advantage of the vacancies to appoint Finster as judge and attorney Don Thompson as solicitor — effectively canceling the elections. Palmour, Vines and others filed suit, but the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the governor’s power of appointment.
