GBI Says No to Hart BOC Request into Missing Airport Authority Records

State Representative Alan Powell says he will continue to pursue a new GBI investigation into missing records from the Franklin-Hart Airport Authority.

Powell tells WLHR News he recently acted on the request from the Hart County Commission by sending an email to newly appointed GBI Director Michael Register to do an investigation into where those documents are, but Register denied that request.

In copies of two emails obtained by WLHR News, Register told Rep. Powell that said his office was familiar with the issue and referred to the 2020 investigation of Airport Authority Board Chair Eddie Addison.

Addison was indicted in 2021 but so far the case has not gone any further.

Register said that case was still active and he referred Powell to District Attorney Parks White.

In a reply email, Powell wrote:

“Director Register,
Thank you for your reply to the request from the Hart County Bd of Commissioners. Their request has nothing to do with prior investigations requested by DA White.
As I understand, they are requesting assistance in locating missing files to verify a payment request that may or may not be due. Hart County and Franklin County share the appointment of this authority and have expressed their concerns. I understand the Franklin County Sheriffs’ Dept has looked into this matter, but no solution has  been found. To that end, they have made this request. I will refer further answers to you for their request to them and will forward your email to them…”

In June, the Franklin-Hart County Airport Authority Board Chair Eddie Addison came before the Franklin County Board of Commissioners requesting an investigation into where eight boxes of their documents are that date back to the time when the County handled their bookkeeping under the former airport chairman, Harris Little.

Addison said between 2017 and 2018 when the County was still handling the Airport’s finances, Croy Engineering did work for phase two of the parallel runway and lighting project.

He said recently the Airport Authority received an invoice from Croy for $19,000 claiming they were never paid.

Addison told the Board, that they don’t have any of the Airport records from that time to determine whether Croy was paid or not.

“We thought we were totally finished with phase 2….but they (Croy) hit us with this invoice, and because we don’t have those records, we don’t know if the Airport Authority at that time actually voted for them to go ahead and complete that or start that. So, we really need those records,” he said. “When we first started, we were doing shared services. The County was buying $3,500 for shared services and you were taking care of our accounting. Well as we went through and discovered things, the County elected not to go forward with that and we hired Brian Messner’s firm to take on that service but we weren’t allowed to have our records back. The previous administration felt that the Airport Authority fell under the County’s purview but we’re sovereign in both counties. And we really need those records so we can determine if, in fact, we owe them this money.”
Former Board Chair Jason Macomson said at the time they had searched for those records but found only one box of records.

In late October, the Hart County Board of Commissioners voted to ask Representative Powell to ask the GBI to investigate where those missing records are.

Commission Chair Marshal Sayer the question of where those documents are has gone on long enough with no answers.

“There’s been some talk in the news about missing records. They’re getting bills and they don’t know what they owe because of missing records,” Sayer told the Board. “This has been going on for a year. So, they’ve asked us to contact Rep. Alan Powell to get involved with the GBI to get some movement on retrieving these records, whether if they’re stolen or if they’re destroyed. So, do I have the motion to request Alan Powell and the GBI to get involved?”

Commissioner Jeff Brown then motioned to send an email to Rep. Powell that night requesting he contact the GBI on the Commission’s behalf.

“All that’s needed, I understand, is an email. Is there any way we can send Alan an email tonight giving him the go-ahead?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Sayer.

” Then, I make a motion that we get this ball rolling,” Brown said.

Brown’s motion was seconded by Commissioner Frankie Teasley and it passed unanimously.

WLHR News will continue to follow this story and bring you more updates as they become available.