Former Piedmont ADA Charged With Theft

A former assistant district attorney for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit is out on bond after being indicted on theft charges.

On June 2, 32-year-old Samuel Elias Skelton was indicted on thirty-three counts of theft by taking.

The indictment was issued upon the conclusion of a criminal investigation conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that started in August 2015.

According to the GBI, the case originated because the Banks County Sheriff’s Office discovered irregularities in its evidence room involving Skelton.

GBI officials said that as a result of those findings, Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed met with Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Smith and they requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigate.

Authorities said the investigation uncovered thefts of court fines and fees by former ADA Skelton.

Skelton turned himself in to the Banks County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, then posted bond and was released from the Banks County Jail.

The GBI said a special prosecutor has been assigned from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council at the request of the state Attorney General.