Nashville mayor resigns
Megan Barry leaves the office after pleading guilty to theft of city funds while carrying on an affair with her bodyguard.
Alan Clark Edwards
Alan Clark Edwards, age 63, of Rome, passed away Monday, March 5, 2018.
Alan was born October 12, 1954 in Floyd County. He was a member of Dykes Creeks Baptist and self-employed. Alan was preceded in death by his father, Linton Teasley Edwards.
Survivors include, his son, Charlie Edwards, Rome; mother, Ozelle Roberson Edwards, Rome; sister, Ava Gail Edwards, Rome.
Graveside and interment services will be held at 12:00 noon on Thursday at Mizpah United Methodist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Mikel Garrett officiating.
Pallbearers include the following gentlemen, who are asked to meet at the cemetery by 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the cemetery: Charlie Edwards, Tim Hicks, Jake Jacobs, Athan Abercrombie, Alex Abercrombie, Jeff Abercrombie, and Adam Abercrombie.
Please visit our website, www.goodshepherdfh.net, to post your tributes for Alan.
Parnick Jennings Sr.’s Good Shepherd Funeral Home, 2750 Shorter Ave., Rome, Ga. 30165, has charge of arrangements. Megan Barry announces her resignation as mayor of Nashville, Tenn., during a live press conference on Tuesday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mayor Megan Barry, a one-time rising star in the Democratic Party with big plans to remake Nashville, resigned Tuesday after pleading guilty to cheating the city out of thousands of dollars to carry on an affair with her bodyguard.
The resignation marked a swift fall for Barry, who stunned the city in late January when she confessed to an extramarital relationship with the former head of her security detail.
“While my time today as your mayor concludes, my unwavering love and sincere affection for this wonderful city and its great people will never come to an end,” the 54-year-old Barry said at a news conference shortly after appearing before a judge. She did not take questions.
Barry and her former bodyguard, police Sgt. Robert Forrest, separately pleaded guilty to felony theft. Barry’s resignation was part of a plea bargain with prosecutors. She and Forrest were sentenced to three years’ probation.
Barry also agreed to reimburse the city $11,000, while Forrest will return $45,000 that authorities said was paid to him in salary or overtime when he was not actually performing his duties as security chief.
A state investigation into the matter was closed after the plea deal, essentially ending the case.
In court, Barry didn’t say how she stole money from the city, but investigators have said they believe she engaged in the affair while she was on city-paid trips and Forrest was on the clock. The district attorney’s office later said the money Barry paid was for Forrest’s travel expenses while he was on personal time.
Authorities found two nude or partially nude photos of a woman that were taken by Forrest’s phone while he was on duty. The photos were shot last May and October, on days that Barry’s travel schedule shows she was on trips to Washington.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not identify the woman in the pictures, and Barry has said that if the photos are of her, they were taken without her knowledge.
Vice Mayor David Briley, a fellow Democrat, was sworn in Tuesday afternoon. His first words were: “I need some coffee.” He called Barry “a friend” and said he hoped she would be able to move past “a horrible moment” in her life.
A special election to choose a new mayor will be held Aug. 2. Mark Humphrey / AP
Barry was riding high when news broke that she had been having an affair with Forrest, whose wife filed for divorce soon after the relationship became public. Elected in 2015, Barry maintained a high profile in the city, appearing routinely at concerts and other events and spearheading a successful effort to bring professional soccer to Nashville. She was the point person for a $5.4 billion transit plan that Nashville voters will consider in a referendum in May.
Forrest, who had spent more than 31 years with Metro Nashville Police and supervised the mayor’s security detail over three administrations, has retired. Police records show Forrest’s overtime more than doubled from 2014-15 to the 2016-17 budget year.
Barry said their affair began in the spring of 2016, according to court papers. She has said the relationship is over but has not disclosed when it ended.