Fani Willis Maintains She ‘Is Not Responsible’ for Fulton County Jail, Argues Georgia Senators ‘Should Worry About the State Prisons’

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asserted in a Tuesday interview that Georgia state senators investigating the conditions at the Fulton County Jail should instead investigate the state prison system, though she said she “is not responsible” for the jail.

Willis made the remarks to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in response to an investigation launched in the Georgia Senate earlier this year over the conditions at the Fulton County Jail, where 10 inmates have died in 2023. One of the defendants in Willis’ high-profile Young Slime Life (YSL) racketeering case was stabbed in the jail this week, delaying the ongoing trial until 2024.

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New Fulton County Jail Expected to Cost over $1.7 Billion, Finish in 2031

If funding for a new jail in Fulton County is approved next year, the facility could open in 2029, but will not be finished until 2031, according to a presentation received by Fulton County commissioners on Wednesday. The county considers a new jail as the Georgia State Senate investigates the conditions at the troubled Fulton County Jail.

The proposed facility will cost nearly $1.76 billion, and will boast enough room to provide accommodations and services for 4,416 inmates, according to the presentation delivered by consultants from architecture firms TreanorHL and STV.

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Democratic Georgia State Senator Calls for Fulton County Sheriff to Resign for Jail ‘Crisis’

Georgia State Senator Joshua McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) called for embattled Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat (D) to resign on Monday in response to the “crisis” at the Fulton County Jail.

McLaurin cited Labat’s recent controversies, which include allegations he used the jail’s Inmate Welfare Fund as a “slush fund” and questions about why medical bracelets purchased from a company tied to Georgia legislators were not being used at the facility, before calling for his resignation.

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Fulton County Jail Moves Up to 70 Inmates to Forsyth County amid Severe Overcrowding, ‘149,200-Case Backlog’

Inmate Behind Bars

News broke on Thursday that Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat inked an agreement with Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman in April to allow up to 70 detainees at the troubled Fulton County Jail to be relocated to the nearby county, with the agreement reportedly citing Fulton County’s 149,200-case backlog.

Reports indicated Labat planned to send some of the inmates in Fulton County to other jails earlier this year, but Appen Media Group published details about the agreement struck with Forsyth County for the first time on Thursday.

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Fulton County Sheriff Admits Inmate Welfare Fund Spent on Gift Cards, Giveaways amid ‘Slush Fund’ Accusation

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat admitted in a Wednesday meeting of the Fulton County Commission that his office incorrectly spent money from Fulton County Jail’s Inmate Welfare Fund on items that have nothing to do with detainees, including on turkey giveaways, gift cards, party materials, and new vehicles.

Labat confirmed the report by WSB-TV that revealed his office spent more than $1 million earmarked for Fulton County Jail inmates on seemingly frivolous items, including bounce houses, disc jockeys, jugglers, florists, gift cards, and a $500 Thanksgiving giveaway. Labat said he fired two employees and launched an internal audit over the expenditures.

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Georgia Judge Denies Sheriff’s Bid to Move Fulton County Jail Inmates to Mississippi

A Fulton County Judge ruled on Monday that Sheriff Pat Labat (D) cannot transfer jail detainees from Atlanta to a private prison in Mississippi. Labat previously indicated he would move up to 1,000 inmates to facilities in south Georgia and Mississippi to ease overcrowding.

In a mixed ruling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee determined Labat does not have the legal authority to transfer inmates to other states, but also dismissed allegations that he was violating his official duties by considering the transfer.

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Georgia Republican Senators to Probe Fulton County Jail as Sheriff Moves Inmates to Mississippi

The Georgia Senate announced a new subcommittee to probe severe overcrowding and dangerous conditions at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday, with news breaking on Wednesday that State Senators John Albers (R-Alpharetta) and Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) will lead the probe.

The probe was revealed as activists gathered to protest Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat’s plan to relocate inmates to other facilities, including ones in South Georgia and Mississippi.

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Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Confirms Ex-Guard Accused of Strangling Detainee Is ‘Biologically a Female,’ Mug Shot Shows Person with Beard and Receding Hairline

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Georgia Star News that a former guard at the Fulton County Jail, who was charged on Thursday after allegedly strangling a detainee to the point of losing consciousness, is a biologically female person. Media reports seem to disagree on Clark’s gender, with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution referring to Clark using female pronouns and Fox 5 Atlanta using male pronouns in its reporting.

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Family Announces Lawsuit Against Fulton County Jail After Inmate Stabbed to Death

The family of a deceased Fulton County Jail detainee who was stabbed to death announced its intention to sue the jail on Wednesday but will first offer the facility a 30-day window to “address the situation appropriately” before the lawsuit is filed. During a Thursday press conference, the family’s lawyers provided details surrounding the stabbing death.

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Fourth Inmate Found Dead at Fulton County Jail in August

Another inmate was recently found dead in their cell in the Fulton County Jail, according to a press release by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO).

On Wednesday, the FCSO announced that inmate Samuel Lawrence, age 34, was found unresponsive in his unit cell on August 26 at approximately 4:20 p.m. as detention officers were conducting dinner rounds.

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Family of Man Found Dead, Covered in Bug Bites in Fulton County Jail Reaches $4 Million Settlement

The family of Lashawn Thompson reached a $4 million settlement with Fulton County in the death of Thompson, who was found dead in a cell on the county jail’s psychiatric floor covered in bed bugs and insects last year.

Fulton County commissioners voted six to zero to approve the family’s settlement, 11 Alive reported. The outlet noted that the settlement comes two months after the family released the results of a private autopsy of Thompson, which showed that he died from “severe neglect.”

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Georgia Mayor Says He Thought House Was Abandoned after Arrested on Trespassing, Burglary Charges

South Fulton, Georgia, Mayor Khalid Kamau was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and criminal trespass after entering a home that he says he thought was abandoned. Kamau (pictured above) was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Saturday and released that same day after posting $11,000 in bond, records show.

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Man Arrested with Six Guns in Atlanta Grocery Store

A day after a man in Colorado was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder after opening fire in a grocery store, a man was arrested in Atlanta after bringing six guns and body armor into a Publix. 

“Preliminary investigation indicates the male entered the location openly carrying a rifle and entered the bathroom,” according to the Atlanta Police Department (APD). “A witness observed the male and alerted store management who then notified police. When the male exited the bathroom, arriving units immediately detained the male.”

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