Suspended DA denies allegations

Donovan indicted on charges of bribery, violating oath of office.

A day after Gov. Brian Kemp suspended him from office while he faces criminal charges, Paulding County District Attorney Dick Donovan said he’s done nothing wrong.

“The allegations are false,” Donovan said in a statement emailed by his attorney.

The 75-year-old Donovan, who had served as DA since 2010, was indicted last week on charges of bribery, violation of oath by public officer, and two counts of false swearing. The allegations stem from his relationship with a top female staffmember. He was arrested on Monday and spent just over an hour in jail before posting $2,500 bond.

Following an investigation by the GBI, Attorney General Chris Carr’s office presented Donovan’s case to a Paulding County grand jury. After the indictment, Carr’s office requested that an arrest warrant be issued for Donovan and sent the indictment to Kemp.

In an executive order signed Wednesday, Kemp

wrote that Donovan “has voluntarily authorized his suspension” as DA.

Donovan will remain suspended until his legal case is closed or his term ends, whichever occurs first. Donovan was reelected in 2014 and 2018, so his term would expire at the end of 2022.

Donovan said he submitted a letter to Kemp agreeing to the suspension, but that doesn’t mean he is guilty.

“I categorically deny each allegation against me, but this fight will be time-consuming,” Donovan said. “That is why I have stepped away for now: I believe the people of Paulding County deserve a District Attorney who can fully carry out the functions and duties of the office without hesitation.”

After serving as a police officer for several years, Donovan attended law school and opened a private practice in Hiram in 1981 until he was elected DA.

Donovan’s legal troubles began in 2019, when Jamie White, a victim advocate in the Paulding DA’S office, accused him of sexual harassment. In January 2020, a $300,000 settlement was reached in the civil matter. But according to the GBI, Donovan broke criminal laws when he gave a sworn affidavit regarding his relationship with White. According to the indictment, Donovan also bribed a prosecutor in a neighboring county to drop criminal charges against one of his employees.

The indictment alleges Donovan made false statements in a sworn affidavit when he denied ever having said that he wanted to have sex with this same employee of his office. But White provided audio tapes and written notes as evidence for an outside investigator hired by Paulding County.

Donovan will continue to receive his salary while he is suspended, according to state law. If convicted, he will no longer receive a salary.

At State Farm Arena, March 7, 8 p.m., TNT

With a salary cap of at least $180 million, the Falcons have been working expeditiously to figure out how their roster will be under the cap for the 2021 season. In the early going of the new regime, that has been a focus for the front-of- fice staff assembled by general manager Terry Fontenot.

Among the new additions assisting Fontenot in this department is Chris Olsen, the senior director of foot- ball administration who previously worked for the Houston Texans. Olsen has teamed with manager of football administration Kirsten Grohs, retained from the previous regime, to crunch numbers and make the team’s cap crisis work.

Fontenot has noticed their office lights staying on from the moment he arrives till he leaves each day, giving him hope that these two will put the Falcons in a good finan- cial place moving forward.

The late nights at the beginning of the offseason certainly are warranted. The Falcons have only 39 players under contract who account for a total cap figure of $202.5 million. Of that number, six players — QB Matt Ryan ($40.9 million), WR Julio Jones ($23.1 million), DT Grady Jarrett ($20.8 million), LT Jake Matthews ($20.2 million), DE Dante Fowler ($18.5 million) and LB Deion Jones ($12.6 mil- lion) — make up more than $136 million. If the salary cap doesn’t rise, the Falcons have to eventually add 14 players while simultaneously reducing the figure possibly by $22.5 million.

With the salary cap not expected to reach $185 mil- lion, the Falcons can only hope to get between $2 million to $3 million extra in relief.

The biggest challenge Fontenot all but acknowledged is the Falcons won’t be able to spend big — or much at all — in free agency. Once the Falcons make decisions on the cap casualties under con- tract, much of the free-agent shopping will be done in the bargain bin. Fontenot cited numerous times the long- term health of the franchise is dependent on not overspending on certain players in free agency.

“(Olsen and Grohs) are working hard because there are so many variables with everything,” Fontenot said. “There are a lot of decisions we have to make and everything affects everything. We challenged them that we have to think about the big pic- ture. It’s not just about getting underneath the cap. We have to make sure we are making big-picture decisions. That’s going to be a challenge ... We have to make sure that we find value in all areas of player procurement. They’re not all going to be high draft picks, they’re not all going to be high-paid free agents. We have to find value in all areas.”

In addition to Olsen and Grohs, Fontenot commended Kyle Smith, the senior vice president of player personnel who was previously with the Washington Football Team, for leading the college scouting meetings that have taken place so far. “He hasn’t done anything else but run the meetings and evaluate players,” Fontenot said. “That’s all he does. He’s obsessed with the process, he’s obsessed with ball, and I’m excited about having him . ... He’s a star in this building.”

Fontenot also noted that Dwaune Jones, assistant director of college scouting, has played an important role in this process thus far.

It remains to be seen just how the Falcons will approach free agency and the draft. The challenges are obvious with the numbers they are work- ing against.

“I think the most important thing when you’re in the GM seat is hiring and empowering the right people because ... for example, when we’re in two weeks of college meetings, I got pulled out of meetings a lot,” Fontenot said. “I wasn’t in those meetings as often as I like to be in those meetings. So you have to make sure you have people in place that you really trust.”

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PRO BASEBALL:

Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán gave a public apology Wednesday for actions that led to a lengthy suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy, a day after he spoke with teammates and admitted he had engaged in dangerous conduct. Germán was placed on administrative leave Sept. 19, 2019, while MLB investigated an incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. He missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the playoffs.

PRO BASEBALL:

Free-agent outfielder Shin-soo Choo, 38, agreed to a one-year contract to play for a club in his native South Korea. Choo, who spent the past seven seasons with the Texas Rangers, signed a $2.4 million deal with a Korean Baseball Organization team owned by an affiliate with the Shinsegae business group.

PRO HOCKEY: San Jose’s game against Vegas scheduled for Thursday night was postponed after a Sharks player entered the NHL’S COVID-19 protocol. It’s the 36th game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues. The Sharks’ facilities have been closed.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The

Big Ten is adding a 16th trophy game to honor the first Black man to play in the conference. Northwestern and Michigan will meet for the George Jewett Trophy in October, the schools announced. Jewett starred as a back at Michigan before leaving for Northwestern in 1893 to finish his medical degree.

PRO FOOTBALL: Jurrell Casey’s stint in Denver lasted just three games. The Broncos released the veteran defensive tackle Thursday, freeing up about $12 million in salary-cap space two weeks after the release of veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye saved them a similar amount against the cap.

Dick Donovan