COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -- The office manager for suspended Muscogee County District Attorney Mark Jones has been suspended and tells News 3 she plans to resign.
Valerie N. Thompson was suspended Thursday.
Jones is facing a November trial on a nine-count indictment that alleges criminal misconduct while in office. The office is being run by Chief Assistant District Attorney Sheneka Terry.
“It is a personnel issue, and it is currently under investigation,” Terry told News 3 late Thursday.
When pressed, Terry said the investigation was ongoing and she could not comment.
There has been no indication that Thompson’s issues are connected to Jones’ legal troubles.
Thompson was hired by Jones when he took office on Jan. 4. She is the top non-attorney in the District Attorney’s Office.
On Jan. 5, a second-degree criminal property damage charge against Thompson was dropped by the District Attorney’s Office. A hand-written note on the official document by Assistant District Attorney Jarrell Schley stated, “Def has no other incidents with the law.”
Thomason sent the following message to WRBL on Thursday at 12:25 p.m,:
“I’m in need of an attorney ASAP. I was suspended without pay by the Interim DA at the Chattahoochee District Attorney’s office. She has not provided me with anything in writing and asked me to leave the building. There is more to this situation. I need an attorney.”
Not long after that post, Thompson reached out via phone to News 3 asking for news coverage about her suspension. She said the legal troubles stemmed from a domestic situation.
Friday morning, she sent the following Facebook message to a News 3 reporter:
“You can disregard everything. I am resigning from the position and planning to move forward with my life,” the message read in part.
Prior to the publishing of this story Thompson sent WRBL another message. It read in part:
If you want to post something, post this:
"I posted yesterday in this group yesterday about being suspended from the DA’s Office. I’ve since resigned. I’m choosing to walk away from the situation.
"I have a Bachelor’s in English, and I’m a few credits away from receiving a Master’s in Public Administration. I have 10 years of administrative experience. I’ve been employed with Columbus State University and Columbus Consolidated Government. I’ve held positions as a writing tutor, administrative assistant, recreation specialist, and operations manager.
"I’ve never been disciplined at work. I’ve always gone above and beyond regarding work assignments. I can submit character witness / work performance letters from all of my former supervisors.
"I’m a hard worker who wants to work. My personal / legal problems will be resolved. I cannot go back and change anything, and I accept full responsibility. I want to move forward."
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