Pike grand jury indicts Crawford

With Judge Arch McGarity of Henry County presiding, a Pike County grand jury indicted Judge Mack Crawfrord on two criminal counts Wednesday. Evidence was presented to the grand jury by an assistant Georgia attorney general.Crawford was indicted on one count each of theft by taking and violation of oath of office. He is to surrender himself at the Pike County jail today for processing and will be released on his own recognizance.’I feel confident Mack didn’t steal any money or have any criminal intent, and I believe I can prove that in court,’ Crawford’s attorney Virgil Brown said.As a private attorney, Crawford represented two clients who placed $15,675 into the Pike County court’s registry in 2002 while their foreclosure case was pending. In 2009, a judge dismissed the case and ordered the funds be returned to Crawford’s clients.The funds stayed in the registry until last December when clerk Carolyn Williams told Crawford she planned to send the money to the state as unclaimed property. But Crawford directed her to give him the funds, which she did. The grand jury determined that comprised a theft.