COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -- The Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit is a step closer to getting a permanent district attorney after the former officeholder was convicted of public corruption.
Four potential candidates interviewed with Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday, multiple sources told News 3.
Criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Stacey Jackson, Acting District Attorney Sheneka Terry, Senior Assistant District Attorney William Hocutt, and Columbus attorney Pete Temesgen interviewed with the governor in his Atlanta office.
A spokesperson for the governor confirmed on Wednesday that the interview process was ongoing. There is no timetable for the appointment.
Former District Attorney Mark Jones was elected in 2020 and convicted of felony corruption charges while in office in November 2021, less than 11 months after taking office.
Terry has been the acting DA since October when Jones was suspended by the governor following his indictment a month earlier.
Kemp will appoint Jones’ replacement and that person will hold the office until the 2024 election. Last month, Kemp took applications for the job, and News 3 was told seven attorneys applied and were interviewed by the governor’s staff.
The final four interviews were in person.
On Tuesday, Kemp held a campaign stop in Harris County. Three of the four finalists -- Jackson, Hocutt and Temesgen -- attended that event.
All four of the candidates have prosecutorial experience.
Terry was promoted by Jones to his chief assistant’s job when he took office.
Jackson spent nearly a decade in the DA’s office before becoming one of the most prominent criminal defense attorneys in the region. Temesgen was a prosecutor in the Chattahoochee circuit before going into private practice several years ago. Hocutt currently works in the DA’s office.
0 Comments