Lee commissioner involved in earlier settlement

LEESBURG – Records obtained by The Albany Herald indicate that the current settlement being negotiated between Mike Sistrunk and current Lee County commissioners as a result of alleged libelous public statements made by Commissioner John Wheaton is not the first settlement made by the county and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia on Wheaton’s behalf.

In response to several queries by citizens of Lee County to the Herald regarding other possible settlements made on behalf of current county commissioners, a request for any information related to such settlements was made by the newspaper under the Georgia Open Records Act.

In response to this request a “satisfaction, release, and indemnity agreement” related to a $150,000 settlement made to Kathie Ann Cash and William Lamar Cash Jr. was provided to The Albany Herald.

The settlement was made in response to a “whistleblower” suit filed against “Lee County and Judge John Wheaton individually and in his capacity as Probate Judge of Lee County; the Lee County Probate Court; the Association County Commissioners of Georgia-Interlocal Risk Management Agency.”

In the suit, Kathie Ann Cash claimed she was wrongly fired by Wheaton as retaliation after she accused his granddaughter of falsely filing time sheets while employed as an assistant in his office.

Asked for comment on the settlement, Lee Commission Board Chairman, Billy Mathis responded, “John Wheaton is a dedicated public servant. Great citizens and public servants like John make Lee County a vibrant, growing county. Stable taxes, balanced budgets, great quality of life, strong public safety departments, great schools aren’t things that just happen. There are many appealing attributes of Lee County that we could talk about.”

Wheaton did not respond to a message left by the Herald seeking comment.

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