July 27, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A state electrical inspector of Smithville was named in a sealed indictment returned by the DeKalb County Grand Jury this week for official misconduct and theft of property.
55-year-old Shannon Lee Patterson of Olen Drive is under a $10,000 bond and will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on August 7.
The case was investigated by the District Attorney General’s Office of the 13th Judicial District.
District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway told WJLE Thursday that according to the investigation, Patterson, who was an electrical inspector for the state accepted fees from numerous individuals, businesses, churches, etc. without performing inspections.
The list of victims totals more than 270. (View pdf here)
https://wjle.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/23cr85.pdf
One count of the indictment states that “between the dates of January 1, 2020 and April 11, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Patterson did unlawfully and knowingly obtain or exercise control over property, including but not limited to, cash valued at over $10,000 belonging to (victims) with intent to deprive the owners thereof and without the owner’s effective consent in violation of state law”.
The second count of the indictment alleges that “between the dates of January 1, 2020 and April 11, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Patterson did unlawfully and knowingly, while acting as a public servant, commit an offense with intent to obtain a benefit by theft, in violation of state law”.