Former Crawford chief magistrate indicted on theft charges
awomack@macon.comOctober 23, 2013
Andrea Peterman
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Crawford County grand jurors have indicted former Chief Magistrate Andrea Peterman on two counts of theft and a charge alleging she violated her oath of office, according to an indictment filed Wednesday.
The indictment alleges Peterman illegally appropriated money for her own use both while she served as Crawford chief magistrate and while she was the county’s Probate Court clerk prior to her election as chief magistrate in fall 2012.
The theft from Magistrate Court allegedly occurred between Feb. 1, 2013, and March 4, 2013. The Probate Court theft allegedly occurred between Feb. 1, 2012, and Feb. 29, 2012, according to the indictment.
GBI agents investigated the theft after allegations surfaced early in 2013.
Peterman’s lawyer, Michael Chidester, said he and Peterman are in “active discussions and negotiations” with the district attorney’s office “in an effort to resolve the case.”
Peterman, 44, agreed to a voluntary suspension in the days after her March 4 arrest. She resigned from the position Oct. 1 as part of a consent order agreeing never to seek judicial office.
The governor appointed Richard Spencer to temporarily fill Peterman’s post in June.
The judicial circuit’s Superior Court judges appointed Spencer to serve in the job permanently earlier this month following Peterman’s resignation. He will serve until the next election in 2016.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.
The indictment alleges Peterman illegally appropriated money for her own use both while she served as Crawford chief magistrate and while she was the county’s Probate Court clerk prior to her election as chief magistrate in fall 2012.
The theft from Magistrate Court allegedly occurred between Feb. 1, 2013, and March 4, 2013. The Probate Court theft allegedly occurred between Feb. 1, 2012, and Feb. 29, 2012, according to the indictment.
GBI agents investigated the theft after allegations surfaced early in 2013.
Peterman’s lawyer, Michael Chidester, said he and Peterman are in “active discussions and negotiations” with the district attorney’s office “in an effort to resolve the case.”
Peterman, 44, agreed to a voluntary suspension in the days after her March 4 arrest. She resigned from the position Oct. 1 as part of a consent order agreeing never to seek judicial office.
The governor appointed Richard Spencer to temporarily fill Peterman’s post in June.
The judicial circuit’s Superior Court judges appointed Spencer to serve in the job permanently earlier this month following Peterman’s resignation. He will serve until the next election in 2016.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.
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