Craigslist-tied crimes draw police attention

Recent offenses linked to website have taken toll in metro Atlanta.

Critics say Craigslist is a cesspool of crime, an online marketplace where customers can become prey for violent criminals.

The company says such claims are laughable, noting that hundreds of millions of Craigslist transactions occur without a hitch.

Statistics aside, recent crimes linked to Craigslist have taken a toll in metro Atlanta. Over the past two years, five people have died, while others have been scammed, assaulted or robbed.

The crimes have caught the attention of police departments. Some are responding by offering a safe haven for

information is used by federal prosecutors when they have reached a deal for a guilty plea.

It’s unclear who allegedly paid off Clark and what action he took in return. More details will likely be revealed in Clark’s plea hearing.

Clark was appointed to the DeKalb Zoning Board of Appeals in 2009 by DeKalb CEO Lee May, who was a county commissioner at the time.

“I am deeply disturbed and saddened about the allegations contained in the indictment against Jerry Clark,” May said in a statement.

May declined further comment because the case is pending.

The county hired Clark in September as a special projects coordinator for the Department of Watershed Management, where he was responsible for outreach about water and sewer improvements, recycling and sanitation, said DeKalb spokesman Burke Brennan. The county fired Clark last month when he informed his superiors about the federal investigation.

Several current and former members of the DeKalb Zoning Board of Appeals, which considers protests of zoning decisions from businesses and residents, said they never saw signs of wrongdoing.

“I’m shocked,” said Margot Teed, the vice chairwoman of the board. “He never approached me about voting a certain way. We never had conversations like that.”

Former board member Rebecca Chase Williams said she remembered Clark handling zoning items for the southeast DeKalb district he represented and then leaving their monthly meetings.

“He was often late and left early,” said Williams, who is now a city councilwoman in Brookhaven.

Dan Wright, who briefly worked with Clark on the zoning board in 2013, said Clark was quiet and his attendance at meetings was sporadic.

“As far as any squirrely stuff you just can’t explain, I haven’t seen any of that,” Wright said. “He just wasn’t around that much.”

The federal bribery charge Clark faces comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Jerry Clark, a former member of the DeKalb Zoning Board of Appeals, faces a federal bribery charge.