ATLANTA – A suspended Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit district attorney has pleaded guilty to four felony charges.
Mark Preston Jones will serve one year in prison and four years on probation, according to the sentence handed down Monday by Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden.
Jones also has resigned his position as district attorney.
“Public servants are trusted to discharge their duties ethically and honestly and when they do not, we will hold them accountable for their actions,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
“By abusing his power and abdicating his responsibility as district attorney, Mark Jones did a disservice to those he was elected to protect and put our very justice system at risk. This outcome is a victory for integrity in prosecutions and the rule of law.”
Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted violation of oath by a public officer, one count of violation of oath by a public officer and one count of influencing witnesses.
Jones was indicted after being accused of trying to convince a law enforcement officer to testify that the defendant in a Muscogee County case, Elijah Farrel, believed deceased victim Sara Holtrop was cheating on him. That would have provided a motive allowing Farrel to be charged with murder.
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